A Crazy, Chaotic, Perfectly Imperfect Life
by xoxoyouknowyouwantmexoxo
Summary: Veronica Burke (Levesque) is the 23 year old (formerly wild and rebellious) daughter of HHH, the reigning King of Kings and COO of WWE. Shes' come home to mend fences with her father, who she hasn't seen since she left home at the age of 19 after a series of heated arguments. Things seem to be going well for father and daughter, but what will happen when Dean Ambrose gets involved?
1. who i am - intro

_O.o.O_

_Hi. My name's Veronica Burke – Levesque. Yes, I know.. I'm the oldest daughter of WWE COO, Paul Levesque.. And you're probably wondering why you don't know much about me, I bet.. That answer's simple, really.._

_My dad met my mom when they were in high school, they were high school sweethearts or something, I don't even actually know, to be honest. They thought they'd graduate, get married and my mom would be a pro wrestler's wife.. _

_What she didn't count on was getting pregnant right after graduation, while my father was starting his training and her parents taking the opportunity to throw an 18 and going on 19 year old girl out on her ass because she'd done this supposed 'bad' thing. She also didn't count on her parents doing everything in their power to keep my dad from knowing about me, including burning every letter or postcard he ever sent her._

_Yeah, people, my grandparents were that nuts. They were strict, they were rich and they thought my dad was only after what my mom stood to inherit. He wasn't, but my grandparents didn't give a damn. They disowned my mom and turned their backs on her when she needed them the most. They wanted nothing to do with me, and even went as far as telling Mama that if she ever dared step foot in their house with me, she'd be thrown out again._

_So, my mom assumed that my dad was done with her when she didn't get any responses to her letters and she knew that turning to her parents, the very people who were supposed to love her, no matter what, was not an option.. And it nearly killed her, I know, I had to grow up in the aftermath of it. Despite it all, she held her head high and started a totally new life all the way down in New Orleans where she raised me. She worked two sometimes even three jobs just to take care of me, to make sure I had everything I could possibly ever want. No matter what else she did that was wrong, I cannot say that I didn't have the best mother in the world, that I didn't have everything a child needs to thrive, because I did.. Except for one little thing.._

_A father. She tried dating, a lot actually.. But the guys were all jerks and assholes for the most part and they tended to come as fast as they left. A lot of them didn't want a damn thing to do with me, someone else's brat._

_My mom died unexpectedly when I was probably around 15 and the CPS had to track down my father.. They tried to get my grandparents to take me because they couldn't actually find my dad, but my grandparents shot that down quick, fast and in a hurry. Instead, they gave the CPS worker my father's real name._

_Once CPS found my father, they took me to live with him. You'd think I'd be happy, right?_

_Well, I wasn't.. Because I didn't understand why now the guy actually wanted me around. I put up one hell of a fight while under my dad's roof. Because back then, I didn't know the whole truth._

_When I was probably about 19, we had one fight too many, over a guy named Tyler.. And I did something highly irrational and very stupid that I'll probably always regret.. I ran away with Tyler. He made all these promises, he said all the right things, he treated me like a fucking princess... At first.. _

_I realized too late that it was because he thought he'd get money off me, because he thought that my dad would just fork over money every time we needed or wanted something.. What he didn't count on was me being every bit my father's child and being too damn proud and stubborn to reach out and ask for help if and when I needed it._

_Tyler's true colors started to come out and I realized just how badly I'd made a mess of my own life. So, I tried my best to fix things, held my head high and hoped for the best._

_I've missed my father like crazy and I wish everyday that I could take back everything, rewind time, and go back to the day the CPS worker dropped me at his front door._

_But, sadly, I can't.._

_I can, however, move forward. I can start over, and hope like hell it's not too late.._

_Because I don't want to go through my life alone. I don't want my little girl to go through her life without at least some male influence in her life.._

_She might not have her daddy, damn it, but she's gonna have her grandfather._

_And me.. She'll always have me. I will never put her through the things my own mom put me through inadvertently._

_So, I'm going home.. I'm putting aside all my pride and going back to my father. Like I should've done waay before all this got so far out of hand._

_I'm not sure how this is gonna work just yet, but I have to try because in a matter of months, my little girl will be coming into the world and I don't want her coming into the world like I did. _

_Because I know first hand what can happen to a kid who grows up like I did. I mean it wasn't bad or anything, but it did mess me up a good bit._

_O.o.O_


	2. the first step is always hardest

_O.o.O_

He'd just gotten the girls into bed and was about to go upstairs to his own bed and just collapse across it, fall into a blissful and relaxed state of sleep when the phone rang. Thinking it was work related, and knowing that was the last thing he wanted to deal with on his weeks downtime was bullshit from work, Paul Levesque let the phone go to voicemail.

And gaped at the phone when he heard his oldest daughter, Veronica, on the machine. He went to try and pick it up, but by the time he got to the phone, there was dialtone. He really hadn't talked to her much in the past 3 years, since she'd left home with some guy,a guy Paul knew was all wrong for her, and he hadn't seen her, either.

They'd had a very tense relationship as father and daughter, things happened when she'd been a kid that messed her up more than she cared to admit and she'd spent nearly half of her teenage years trying to keep him at arms length. He'd never quite figured out why, but it had hurt like hell, knowing she was hurting, knowing she'd lived through that much and that there was nothing he could do about it unless she reached out first.

Because anything else might make things worse. She'd been rebellious, sarcastic, moody, bitter then. He had to wonder what made her call tonight and if it meant they were on some kind of wavelength, because he'd been thinking of just going to Mobile, where she lived, when the show went to New Orleans in a few days for Wrestlemania.. He'd been thinking of just making her talk to him and letting the chips fall where they may.

He went to call her back, but he put the phone back down.. Maybe she'd call him back in a few minutes. If she didn't, he'd call her. Because he was taking that call just now as a sign.

He needed to fix things with himself and his oldest daughter.

He needed to explain the truth to her, he needed to find some way to undo all the damage done by how she'd grown up before he'd gotten her in his life.

Meanwhile, in Mobile, Veronica paced the living space of her small apartment, looked at the phone in her hand as she took a few deep breaths.. had he been home and known she was calling, chosen not to pick up?

Was she too late and had she finally pushed things too far and lost the only family she actually had left?

Biting her lower lip she sighed as her hand went carefully to her stomach. She'd found out earlier today that she was pregnant. Tyler had finally left her, only after taking everything he could, only after putting her through almost more than she could stand.

Now she was going to have a baby, and that baby, she was determined, come hell or high water, was never going to know Tyler.. And they were not going to grow up the way she had, either. She was not going to keep repeating the cycle, she was ending it with her child.

Which, of course, lead her to think about the rift between herself and her father. And it made her miss him and it made her long to just hear the man's voice, even if he did yell at her or bitch about the way she'd just left with Tyler and proceeded to completely fuck up her life for good.

She'd been just about to call back when the phone rang in her hand. She wiped at her eyes, she'd been crying, she was going to blame the damn pregnancy horomones, and taking a deep breath so her voice didn't sound quite so shaky, she picked up the phone and gaped in surprise when she heard her father's voice on the other end of the line.

"Are you okay, Veronica?"

"I'm... No, daddy, not really.. I just missed you.. I wanted to talk to you." she admitted as she poured herself a glass of tea and took a long sip, sat it back down on the counter. She held her breath, waiting for the angry words, or him to hang up on her after telling her it was too late for that, she'd made her bed now she'd have to lay in it.

Instead, he asked quietly, "About what?"

"I wanna come home.. I wanna fix things.. I know it's probably too late and I can't undo what I did when I left, but I want to try.. I have to try.. Everything fell apart, Dad.."

"What do you mean, everything fell apart? You've still got me, your stepmom.. We've been waiting on you to reach out first, we didn't want to push you further away." Paul asked as Veronica sighed quietly and then said "I wish I'd never have left with him, Dad.. It was a huge mistake and I was stupid. He didn't actually love me.. Now he's gone.. I just.. I didn't want to be alone anymore."

"I know, Veronica.. I'm gonna kill that little bastard."

"Dad, no.. He's not worth it, okay? Besides, it was my own stupidity that got me into this." Veronica said as sh struck a match, lit one of her scented candles that sat on the counter that seperated her smallish kitchen from the living space of the apartment.

She didn't need money, or a place to live.. She just wanted to go home for a few weeks and try to get her head together. She just wanted to try and figure out where she'd go from today forward. Because when she'd left home at 19, she'd had everything planned out to a T. She'd convinced herself that her life was going to be amazing, that she knew exactly what she wanted from life, that she knew what she was going to be doing five or ten years down the road.

She'd wanted, so badly, to believe that she could make her dreams happen. And that her father was wrong about everything he'd said during their argument that night.

Sadly, he'd been absolutely right about absolutely everything.

Paul said nothing about her comment, then he asked her "Tyler.. He didn't abuse you or anything.. Did he?"

"Define abuse, Dad.. There are worlds of different kinds.. but no, if you're asking if he hit me, he never laid a hand on me. That's about the only good thing I can say about him, actually." Veronica admitted as she took a deep breath and then said "I also wanted to call you tonight to share the little bit of good news I've actually had lately.. I'm pregnant. The doctors are saying it's gonna be a little girl.. I think they're right."

She waited on him to get angry or show disappointment. She was picturing, in her mind, what her mother probably went through when she went to her parents to tell them she was pregnant with Veronica.. Instead of the outburst she'd been thinking she'd hear, she heard him take a few deep breaths and then ask "Does that little bastard know?"

"Yeah. That's why he ran like hell.. Well, that and I wouldn't be the person he was trying to change me into. I wouldn't let him give me hell about being the way I was. I wouldn't kiss his ass and give him the things he wanted."

"And he's gonna do what?"

"Nothing. If I have anything to say about it. I'm done with him and I'm not going to put up with him popping in and out of my baby's life." Veronica said as Paul asked "What are you going to do about a place to live? Or work?"

"Already have a job, dad.. I work at this auto garage in town, they said I can work as a secretary in the office until I have to take maternity leave.. my other job's at night, I can just work fewer shifts, maybe quit it for now, since it makes no sense to tend bar while I'm pregnant and I'd look like an ass if I got up there with the other girls to dance on the bar. Most of my classes, thank Christ, are online. So I won't have to stop college. And I have an apartment here, in Mobile. I wasn't calling to ask for money or anything." Veronica said, her tone of voice hurt for a moment.

Had he just automatically assumed that she'd called wanting to get back into his good graces so he'd 'clean up' the mess she made of her own life?

He had to know her better than that.

"I didn't mean it like that.. It's just.. You said you wanted to come home.. And I'm not entirely fond of you living all the way in Mobile, completely alone.. What if this Tyler bastard comes back?"

"Dad.. I said the words I'm Pregnant.. He couldn't get away fast enough. Hell, he even said he'd sign over his rights as a father when the time came.. But, like I said.. If he changes his mind, I'm gonna make him stick to that, because I don't want my daughter going through what I.."

"I know." Paul said quietly as he said "So you're gonna do this?"

"Yeah, dad. I can handle it. I want this baby. I want to do this. Just like I want to fix everything that went wrong between you and me.. I just.. I don't want her growing up with no male influence in her life. I want my dad back too. I've missed you guys."

"We've missed you too.. What did you mean when you said that you wanted to come home then?"

"I just want to come home, get myself together, work on our relationship as father and daughter, get to actually know my stepmother and my half sisters.. I know I didn't try before and I really should have. I regret that every day." Veronica admitted as she waited.

She hoped like hell it wasn't too late.

"Next week's Wrestlemania.. If you want to come down for that.." Paul asked, hinting that he'd love it if his daughter came to watch him perform. She had a few times and before the sullen and angry, moody teenager thing kicked in, she'd actually seemed to be getting into the show a little.

She mulled it over.. Normally, as a general rule, she tried avoiding the show and anything related to it, because she blamed pro wrestling for tearing her family apart before she was even born.. Considering she knew that to be false now, and considering that she was going to try her best to reconnect with her family, she figured that maybe if she took an interest in her father's work, that would be a good first step.

"Actually, dad, I'd like that. I'll pay for my own tickets and stuff though."

"I got it, Veronica. You just take that money, start a thing for her college fund or something. Speaking of college.. You mentioned that you're working and going to college?"

"Yeah.. I'm majoring in Architecture, probably going to minor in something but I'm not sure what y et.. You know me, I always liked building things and working with my hands." Veronica joked, both of them sharing a laugh for a moment.

"That's good.. Maybe you can build me a a bigger house one day, huh?" Paul asked, both of them sharing another laugh. When they hung up, Veronica sat there in her apartment, thinking about her life as it stood right now.

It felt good to have at least tried to reach out, to know that she hadn't waited too late, and she hadn't lost the only family she had left.


	3. confrontations between a guy and a girl

O.o.O

She'd been backstage for about an hour and she could feel the stares and the tension aimed mostly at her father. She was starting to see that hewasn't very popular as a boss. And she didn't really approve of the way he did certain things, but in order to keep the peace, keep from having a huge fight with him, or stress him out and mess up their family together time, she kept her mouth shut about that.

But sitting in the back, eyes glued to a small screen in the green room, her ratty Converses off and her feet propped on the nearest table to her, the popcorn in her hand froze halfway to her mouth and she gaped at the screen. Her dad and his stable seemed to be enjoying the crap they were doing! It was really grating her nerves for whatever reason and she reminded herself that this was just a tv show, that a lot of the scripting might actually be true, but for the most part, it wasn't.

Maybe this stuff wasn't real either. She hoped to hell it wasn't because she was actually pretty damn irritated with the things her father said right now. "Seriously? He's gonna treat them like this? Half those guys bust their asses out there."

A laugh from behind her had her turning, looking at the male who stood leaned in the doorway, watching her with a raised brow. She'd seen him around, she'd been warned countless times about Dean Ambrose and the way he was.

"Ya mean daddy left the precious princess alone?" he asked, sarcasm dripping from every word he uttered. She rolled her eyes and said quietly "Fuck off. You don't know me." as she shoveled the popcorn into her mouth and concentrated on the scene down in the ring.

She had half a mind to go down and remind her father that not too long ago, he'd been where the guys he was badmouthing right now were. But she knew that'd cause world war 3 to ignite and she was doing her best not to fight with her father this time around. She'd almost lost him being a part of her life one time already and damn it, she was starting to like having her father in her life.

"Oh, I know you alright.. Princess." Dean said as he walked in, stood there looking at her, he was watching her almost like a predator watched it's prey, stroking his chin in thought as he spoke again and said calmly, "Ya probably spoiled, ya probably had everything ya ever got handed to ya."

"If you say so, Ambrose. Look, none of this matters, okay? And I'm not in the mood for your sarcastic yet idiotic observations right now, so if you don't mind.." she said as she looked up at him, bit her lower lip.. His eyes were this deep and stormy shade of blue. Blue eyes and guys with them had sort of always been a huge weakness of hers.. _That's what landed her in this mess she was in presently_, she reminded herself as she continued to return the predatory look he was giving her, right back to him. "And you know a damn thing about me, how, exactly?" she asked as he looked at her and shrugged. "Ya the bosse's oldest baby girl, right? Not too hard to know things."

"If you knew me at all, man.. you'd realize just how fucking far off base you were. Now pipe the fuck down. If you think that look you're giving me, the way you use the whole crazy thing to your advantage is gonna scare me, trust me.. It won't. I've dealt with assholes before. Scary guys too. You don't look that scary to me." Veronica said as she looked at him, eyes flashing with anger.

Why wasn't he just dropping this and leaving her alone already? Did the guy seriously want to get his dick snapped off and shoved down his own throat? Because she was pretty sure that's what her father would do to him if he even caught the guy breathing her air. He'd given her the whole 'no pro wrestlers' speech when she was 17 and for the most part (given her views on why her parents weren't ever together to raise her, why her father wasn't a part of her life until she was a teenager and what she thought she knew in regards to that) she'd abided by that rule.

Besides, if what everyone said about this guy was true, he was the last guy she even needed to be getting this wound up by. She'd blame the pregnancy horomones. When all else failed, blaming the horomones would do, obviously.

Dean stood there studying her intently. Okay, so he'd come in here specifically to rattle HHH's daughter. He'd seen her around the backstage area, and he'd heard several different things about her. He highly doubted any of them were true, in fact, he'd already written her off as a 'pampered princess' or something and he was dying for a chance to prove himself right.

When he'd walked by the green room while looking for Seth or Roman, and he'd seen her in here, completely and totally alone, he'd taken the chance to do that very thing, finally. Anything so he'd stop noticing the damn girl. He didn't want to notice her, he'd rather forget she even existed.

But for some insane reason, he couldn't. And he didn't like that. The need to tear her down so he'd like her and notice her a lot less was at an all time high, and it was pissing him off that she wouldn't just give him a good reason to go back to being unaware of her.

It was really, really starting to irritate him.

Since he wouldn't leave the green room, and frankly, she was getting irritable, she was on edge around this guy for whatever reason, she stood and went to walk out of the room. He grabbed hold of her wrist and asked with a smirk "Truth hurts, huh?"

"Fuck you you fuckin pig. Like I said, man.. You don't fuckin know me.. I don't know you.. And given what you're doing? Dont' think I want to." Veronica snapped as she glared at him and stormed out, door slamming shut in her wake.

He watched the door and glared at it. Had she just completely lost her damn mind just now? Did she not know who he was and what he was capable of? Had nobody warned the poor stupid girl? Why did she bug him so much?

"Fuck her, man." he muttered aloud as he thought to himself _'Seriously, though.. Did you really have to be that big of an asshole? It's not her fault you're aware of her existance and you kinda have a thing for watching her and stuff. She didn't ask you to notice her. If you weren't a fucking psycho, man, it wouldn't be so bad.' _while walking down the hallway, continuing the search for one of the guys.

Veronica fumed as she turned a corner and smacked straight into Randy.. Another guy she felt might just be a little too damn proud of himself. "What?"

"Your dad sent me to check on you."

"As you can clearly see, I'm fine. You can go now. And you can tell my dad that I'm grown up. If I need him, he'll know. Unless I take control of the situation." Veronica said as Randy chuckled and remarked "Yeah, Hunter said you were feisty."

"So you're on first name basis, huh? I wouldn't get too comfy." Veronica quipped as he looked at her. She shrugged and then said "Just going by what I've seen lately, back here and onscreen.. his mind changes at the drop of a hat... And if you mess with me..." He chuckled and then leaned in and said quietly, "Cute. But see, the day I start worrying about the bosses daughter? It's the day I'll end my life. I'm the face of this company, nothing and no one will change that. Kinda shocked though.. Do you not agree with your dad?"

"We disagree on a lot, actually.. Did he not tell you that? I figured since you two were so close.." she said as her father walked around the curtain and gave Randy a glare, smiled at her and asked in concern "You feeling okay? You're face is all flushed.. Maybe you need to go lie down or something, huh?"

"I was thinking exactly the same thing, actually, Dad.. Maybe I can just take off for the hotel?" she asked as he nodded and then said "Steph and I will bring you something to eat on our way back from the arena. You still like those shrimp things.. right?"

"Actually, I'd die for some crawfish and the veggies that go with.. If it's not a hassle?" she asked, digging itno her pockets, trying to fish out some money to cover her own food. Her father waved it off and shook his head. "Keep your money. You're my kid. I'm gonna take care of you. It's what a father does. It's why you came home, right?"

"Yes, dad.. But I also don't want to seem like a leech or something.. I have to do things on my own." Veronica argued as he shook his head and said "Then you can buy next time." as she nodded. He was in stubborn mode tonight, there wasn't any actual sense in fighting him.

From behind the wall he'd stopped near and leaned against to listen out of sight, Dean raised a brow. Their conversations didn't sound like the typical one between a spoiled little princess and her daddy.. And she seemed to keep this independent attitude, even with her father.

Growling at himself, he waited until the coast was clear and again he set off to find the guys and get ready for their match that was coming up at the end of the show. _'Kinda sucks.. Got no reason to show my ass now. She's gonna go back to the hotel. I wonder why HHH was freaking out about her lookin like she didn't feel so good?' _he wondered to himself as he rolled his eyes in irritation.

He had to do something to break this fixation on that damn girl soon or it'd drive him right into an asylum. According to most, ironically, he should have been there long ago. He wasn't about to go getting sprung over some little princess who'd probably just use him to get out her fantasy of 'sleeping with a bum' and then walk away, but only after she purposely sicced her father on him.

Women were evil, he'd learned this as a kid. Sadly, he'd yet to have the theory disproven. So he used them before they used him.

And then he set sights on her and now he couldn't get her out of his damn head. That, again, really annoyed the hell out of him.

And sooner, rather than later, he was going to have to learn how to handle it, ignore it, or he'd have to scare the shit out of her and make her run just so he wouldn't have to actually deal with it. But something had to give. And it had to give soon.


	4. making friends & enemies

O.o.O

"Mmm.. This spaghetti is fuckin amazing." she groaned through a huge and rather unladylike bite. She'd noticed since finding out she was pregnant that food tasted a thousand times better for some weird and screwy reason. She liked that.

Snickering from nearby made her look up and she scowled as she noticed Layla El and another girl on the roster sitting there, watching her. She'd had quite a few problems with some of the people who worked for her father, everybody seemed to be angry with him for the way he and her stepmom were doing things. Truthfully, Veronica wasn't too damn pleased with the way this show ran herself, but she was also trying to keep the father she knew when he wasn't working seperate from the apparent jackass he became the second he put on a suit and tie.

If money and fame and an assload of power did this to somebody? She wanted no part of it, personally. But the show, in itself, was entertaining, she had to give it that much credit. The violence didn't appeal to her, but the dramatics did.

Especially with her horomones making her feel like an unhinged madwoman at times.

"What?" she asked through a mouth full of food, not even bothering with the formality of manners at this point, really, because girls like Layla El didn't threaten her. Or impress her. And she wasn't about to act intimidated like some shrinking violet or something, she wasn't made that way. She was too much her father's daughter.

And back before pregnancy?

She'd have probably already punched this chick in the face.

She'd never exactly been a people person either, she preferred to keep to herself for the most part.

"It's disgusting.. You'd think the COO's little girl would have more manners than a little piggy or something.. It's sad, really. You're a disgrace." Layla commented, Veronica laughing as she put down the garlic breadstick she'd been just about to dip in the small container of ranch dip that sat beside her plate currently.

Another of her strange cravings.

"What's disgusting, Layla.. Is you." she said calmly as Layla blinked, pointed to herself and laughed. Veronica's fists curled but she reminded herself that according to her doctor, stress and anger were off limits. She wanted to make absolutely sure this kid turned out healthy.

It was already gonna have one or two strikes against it, going through life with no daddy.

And with a mother like her.

"Me? Disgusting? That's doubtful, Veronica."

"Not from where I'm sitting it isn't." Veronica said dryly as Layla glared at her, speechless for a moment or two. Then she laughed and asked "So.. You come running back to daddy when real life got too hard, did you?"

Veronica glared and then bit her lower lip. It pissed her off, but in a sense, Layla was right. But Layla was also only armed with half the story.

And Veronica wasn't nearly stupid enough to arm her with the whole story, not given how much this locker room disliked her father and loved to gossip.

"Fuck off, Layla."

Layla glared and then muttered something in an annoyed tone about Veronica having no culture or class. Laughter from nearby and her table suddenly filling up had her raising a brow. All she'd come into catering to do was to eat her damn food.

Preferably in peace.

"Couldn't help but over hear that." Summer remarked as she smirked and said "I'm Summer. I hate that bitch too. She broke Fandango and I up."

"If he left you for that bitch he wasn't much of a dude." Veronica said, not actually knowing who Fandango was, exactly. The girls gaped when they realized that contrary to what everyone seemed to assume about her, she wasn't up to date on the roster's names or anything like that.

"She's got no bloody idea who we're talking about.. But yes, Summer, this is a statement we all tend to agree with." the raven haired girl spoke, adding with a smirk "Paige."

Veronica nodded and said "Veronica." as she eyed the group of females who'd found their way to her table. Maybe they weren't like the rest of the locker room seemed to be, with the exception being her daddy's 'favorites' of course.

"We're not involved in all the crap that's going on backstage." Emma said as she introduced herself, "Emma" and smiled brightly. Veronica smiled and then said "Good.. Because personally, I think my dad's got his head up his ass too.. But you won't hear me daring to say it. Hell no. The man is stubborn."

The girls laughed and Alycia said aloud "I like her.. I think we're keepin her." as Aksana nodded and then asked in her heavily accented voice, "You eat strange things together.." with a raised brow, nodding at the ranch dip and the breadsticks.

"Nothin's strange when you're preggo." Veronica said quietly as she looked at the girls. They gaped at her and she held a finger to her lips then said with a smile, "Nobody but family knows right now.. "

"So you are married then?"

"Nope, hell no.. I said baby, that guy was out the door so fast it'd have made your head spin. He was a bastard anyway, not a guy I'd want to father my kids." Veronica admitted, seeing no real reason to lie about anything she'd dealt with in the recent years past.

She felt eyes on her again and she looked around, seeing nobody looking at her. Satisfied that whoever had been staring a hole through the back of her head had either lost interest or stopped staring like an ass, she went back to her food, to talking to the girls sitting around her, getting to know them. She'd never had many friends who were female before, not being a tomboy and all that.

The staring started again and she looked around, just in time to see her father staring at Dean Ambrose with an evil look in his eyes before whispering something to Randy who just nodded.

"Just fuckin great." she muttered.

"What's wrong?" Aksana asked as Veronica explained about her run in with Ambrose, and the fact that apparently, her father hated the guy.. Not only that, she'd just seen him looking at her, he hadn't bothered to hide it when he'd been caught, and now, her father had seen him looking.. And promptly started to whisper something in Randy Orton's ear.

"Zat man is insane."

"Girl, he crazy.. Like as in full on mad man crazy."

"He's a little odd."

"A little odd, Emma? Bloody say it.. The man's batshit insane. He's also one of the biggest manwhores on this roster.. So I've heard. Personally, I avoid the man. If he's staring at you, you should to... For your own good." Paige stated as Veronica nodded.

Something about the girls assessments of Dean Ambrose felt dead on, yet they also felt completely and totally wrong at the same time.

The guy got under her skin and snd she hated it.

She didn't want anybody under her skin, she pretty much just wanted to be left the hell alone.

Randy walked past the table that Shield sat at, giving Seth a covert nod as he sat down.. "So, Ambrose.. Boss saw you lookin at Veronica.. And he sent me over here with a little message.. Only way you'd have even a chance in hell is over his dead body. Oh.. And he wants to put you and your buddies here in a match tonight. Since the three of you can't seem to do what he wants, fall in line."

Dean gritted his teeth and shot an unseen glare at the damn girl he'd been staring at.. She really was not worth the hell he'd probably just gotten sent his way. But his urges where she was concerned, this compulsion he had to be around her, to make her as mad as she made him just by being in the same room..

He couldn't fight it, he hated that.

"Do we look fuckin scared, Orton?" Dean asked, calmly, as he continued eating a turkey sandwich.

"I'd leave her alone anyway, Ambrose.. She's knocked up. You're not the kinda guy who needs to b around someone's kids. What with you're being crazy and trashy and all that."

"And ya better, huh?" Dean snapped as he stabbed the fork in his hands down on the table, narrowly missing Randy's fingers with it.

Randy chuckled and winking said "I think we all know who Levesque would rather see his daughter get with.. Even though I'm not even a little interested with her... But seeing you get worked up, Ambrose.. Might be worth just pretending."

"Fuck off, Orton." Roman spoke up and smirked as he said "Or I can repaat that last spear.. Only this time? I'm gonna make damn sure it leaves a mark.. Tell the COO we're not even looking at his kid." as he shot Dean a glare that clearly said 'Get a fucking grip, Ambrose. She's not worth it, not when you're only going to get bored and hurt her, or scare the living shit out of her' without his actually having to say the words.

Seth mulled over what he knew now.. Ambrose had a thing for Veronica.. And if the COO even halfway suspected it..

He smirked to himself as he pretended not to be sitting across the table from his two supposed best friends, plotting how he was going to betray them soon.

Dean stole a look at the table Veronica had been sitting at but found it empty. He mulled over the bombshell Randy dropped just now, Veronica's being pregnant...

"She probably just had a fling and now she's gonna pawn the kid off on her daddy." he thought to himself as he bit into his sandwich.

But it did make him curious about her... And this made him madder at himself.

He just wanted her to leave, wanted to stop bumping into her and the two of them having very heated verbal sparring sessions.

Because their verbal sparring sessions were sort of turning into this bizarre form of foreplay with words. And he found himself thinking about her at night a lot too. Which really, really pissed him off. The girl had gotten under his skin and she'd really done nothing to make it happen. Nor did she seem even remotely interested in him.

"The hell is it with you?"

"Not a damn thing. But now that I know it irritates HHH, I'm gonna go out of my way to do it. Just because he said I couldn't." Dean said with a smirk as Roman shook his head, laughing lightly. Something was different this time, he could just sort of tell.

"Wonder where the baby's dad is?" he remarked as Dean looked up and then for a split second, gave him a dirty look. Roman waved his hands and Dean said stiffly, "Doesn't matter. Not into her. Just like making HHH mad as hell."

"Sure."

"Fuckin shut it, Roman." Dean said through gritted teeth as he started tearing into his food. Yes, something most certainly had to be done about the COO's daughter getting under his skin. Especially now that he knew she was pregnant.

That alone should have been enough to break this 'fascination' he had with the girl.

It apparently, hadn't been.

And this made him even angrier than he'd been before.

Paul caught up to his daughter in the green room before the show started and sat down next to her.

"We need to have a discussion.. That Ambrose guy.. If I even think he's into you.. He's not gonna like the outcome.. He's not a good guy, Veronica.. I don't want to see you getting hurt again. I said no fighters."

"And I said no men.. Period. I'm done. None of them would want me now anyway, I'm so fucked up from everything Tyler put me through. Plus, nobody wants a ready made family. Besides, Dad.. Pretty damn sure the guy hates me as much as I dislike him." Veronica replied calmly as Paul looked at her, brow raised. She continued and said carefully, "Besides, Dad.. I'm a grown ass woman.. If I wanted him, I'd be with him. And it wouldn't matter what anyone said."

He gave her a dirty look and then said calmly, "He's not a good guy. He's not good enough for you. And if I think anything's going on, I'll kill that bastard."

She gave him a look, wondering for a moment why that even bothred her, she'd had at least four run ins with Ambrose and none had been particularly pleasant.. She hadn't felt those butterflies in her tummy, she hadn't felt weak in the knees.

Okay, so maybe she had felt something..

But it took more than lust to make things work in a relationship. She was adult enough to see that now.

And she had a baby on the way to think of.

It was on her not to be a bad mother.. And given what she knew about Ambrose?

That was probably the worst guy for her to get mixed in with.

"Relax, Dad. I'm not going to grab him and run off to a 24 hour wedding chapel. You don't have to keep reminding me about your rule about the guys. I'm not interested."

"Good." Paul said as he looked at her in concern and asked "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine." she lied as she thought to herself _'Just hate it when you dictate things to me like I'm two is all. I know I fucked up the first time I trusted my heart. You don't have to keep reminding me how all this is my own damn fault.' _and fought back the frustration that thinking about her failures in life often made surface.

She smiled convincingly and when her father walked out of the green room, she shot a glare at the retreating back of Dean Ambrose who'd just walked into the mens locker room. "That son of a bitch. He's gotta be doing this on purpose. Not my fault when Dad finally has enough and puts his foot down." she muttered to herself even as she had the passing thought _'No, but you know it'll bother you. That guy's gotten under your skin as much as you hate admitting it. If only he'd just left you the fuck alone..' _and quickly put it out of her head.

The less she thought about the jerk, the better off she was, in her honest opinion.


	5. confrontations between a guy and girl II

O.o.O

The show had only just ended and she stood in the parking lot of the arena, arms crossed, fuming as she glared openly across the parking lot at Dean Ambrose. He seemed to take great pleasure in getting in her face and she was starting to get the urge to just deck him once and get it over with. Maybe when he swallowed those damn perfect teeth of his..

_'Calm down, little mama.. None of that until you've had your little one.. Besides, if he keeps on, his stupidity is going to get him right in the middle of my daddy's crossfire.. And I just don't think that it'd be worth it for him. Maybe he'll fuck off if I quit reacting and over reacting to every little thing Dean Ambrose does or says. Worked when I got bullied in school. Why wouldn't it work now?' _she thought to herself as he winked, the cocky bastard. She was just about to throw her Mountain Dew bottle, but Alycia grabbed it, shaking her head.. "Oh no, girl.. He's crazier than people say I am."

"Just one good throw. God that man pisses me off so much!" Veronica scowled and hopped around when she kicked the tire on her car in anger and it hurt her more than it did anything else. Alycia snickered and then asked bluntly, "You sure he's just makin you mad?"

"What's that mean?"

"Well... You two do fight like an old married couple." Emma spoke up as Paige suggested, "Lots of those sappy movies start off like this, actually.. Boy meets girl, boy and girl instantly hate one another.. Then they get locked in a room together or something and clothing literally melts off."

Veronica gaped at her friends as Aksana smiled and leaned in then whispered "I know a secret.. I over hear zem talking.."

"Who?"

She cocked her head towards Dean and then subtly pointed at Roman who stood nearby, the two men in an intense discussion, it seemed and then looked back at Veronica and Emma explained "Apparently, Dean attacked Randy in the locker room.. Took Roman and two other guys to pull the two of 'em apart."

"They're both egotistical.. Probably just an ego thing." Veronica said as Aksana shook her head and said "Dean tell Randy zat if he was smart, he'd leave you alone. Does zat sound like ego?" Aksana asked as Veronica mulled that over and shrugged.

"Doesn't matter either way. Men are assholes. Nearly all of them." Veronica said as she bit her lower lip and let what her friends were telling her rattle around in her mind a little bit.. Was that why her father seemed to be singling out the Shield lately?

God, she hoped not. And she wondered why that might bug her so damn much.

"Are you okay, girl?"

"She's doing it.. Again.. Eyes over here, girl.. That man is batshit cray." Alycia said as Paige and Emma nodded in agreement.

Summer Rae wandered over fuming and looked from Dean to Veronica before saying calmly, "You might wanna watch out.. Ambrose isn't someone you just mess around with.. And the rumor going around the locker room is that he's got this thing about you."

"Fucking why?"

"Who knows.. But two guys have already kind of gotten on his shit list because." Summer Rae said as she fumed when Layla walked past with Fandago, laughing. She grumbled under her breath and Veronica and the other 4 girls who stood with her all pulled Summer Rae in and started telling her just how shitty Fandango was and how she'd do so much better without him.

"Santino said Zack Ryder kind of likes you.. And I saw you looking at him earlier." Emma said with a giggle as she looked at Summer Rae and smiled.

"Really?"

"Girl.. he almost took out a door looking at you earlier. He's a really sweet guy." Veronica said as eyes shifted to her and sh shrugged then said "What? Just because I'm done with dicks doesn't mean you guys gotta give up too. There has to be at least one of us who winds up happy, right? I just pretty much know it ain't gonna be me."

The girls got into their cars, Summer Rae getting into Veronica's car with her, all of them planning to just go back to the hotel, watch horror movies and binge on ice cream and anything else they could get their hands on readily.

On their way into the hotel, they passed a gas station and Veronica's craving kicked in. "I'm stoppin.. I want some lemon ice cream and some of those really spicy buffalo wings they had here earlier." as she pulled into the parking spot next to an SUV that looked vaguely familiar.

When she got out and walked smack into a beer carrying Dean Ambrose, she knew why. "Princess."

"Asshole."

Veronica and Summer walked into the gas station and shaking his head, Roman said aloud to Dean, "Yeah, that's really gonna get you somewhere.. She's actually not the princess kind of girl, man.. I mean going by what some of the girls she's always hanging around have said she doesn't seem to be, to me. Why be an asshole?"

"Because, damn it, I wanna, that's why. She's probably every bit a spoiled little bitch. Thinks she's better than everybody around her. She's just pretendin she's not is all." Dean said as Roman waved his hands, let the matter drop but raised a brow when the two girls walked back out, Veronica carrying a pizza, sodas, a half pint of lemon ice cream, some dvds that she and Summer had gotten out of the Red Box inside the gas station, and an order of buffalo wings.

He chuckled and then wondered for a moment what his 'brother/partner' would think if he knew the girl he spent so much energy on was pregnant.

He recognized the odd food combos as a sign, his girl had had them too. "Looks like if I get hungry, I should come to you guys room, huh?" he joked, Dean giving him a blatant go to hell look the entire time.

"You sure ya should be eatin all that shit?"

"Umm, I want it, so yes, Ambrose, I'm going to eat it." Veronica rolled her eyes as Summer Rae spoke up and said "Our little ballerina wants sweets and spicy food.. So that's what little mama here is going to feed her. It's called being a good mother."

Dean mocked Summer Rae and then snickered as he said "It's gonna go straight to that ass.." and blatantly caught and held Veronica's gaze, giving her a wink just to piss her off. She grumbled and tugged the already 3 sizes too big Motorhead t shirt she wore down completely over her ass and coincidentally, the cutoffs she had on.

"Remind me, Summer.. When my baby's safely born.. I owe that son of a..." Veronica said as Summer steered her friend towards their car and said "No stress.. it's not good for either of you.." before turning to Dean and saying calmly, "Which means that you should stay the hell away. Because you're the worst stress she has right now."

Veronica called out from the car jokingly, "Actually, Summer, it's a two way tie between that asshole and my dad when he's treating me like I'm made of glass or like I'm fuckin two. No fighters my ass.. If they all act like that jackass right there, my dad doesn't have to worry at all.. i'd become a nun first."

"Ya too god damn ugly anyway." Dean called out as Roman herded Dean towards the SUV and then said through gritted teeth "Calm it down.. You're pulling dick moves right now."

"She's bein a fuckin bitch though."

"Because, Dean, you're being yourself.. And being an asshole. Something you're very good at, buddy." Roman said as Dean shot Veronica's car the bird and shut the door to his side of the SUV, leaning his head back against the headrest.

Roman walked over and said quietly, "Ambrose is a jerk sometimes." to Veronica who shrugged and then said "Most guys are. I mean it's not like I'm not a bitch to him first though, not like I don't give it right back. I know he hates me because of my dad. If he knew me at all.."

"Yeah.. I know.. Thing is.. He's not totally a bad guy."

Veronica laughed and nodding said with a smirk, " What's that mean?"

Roman shot a look back at the SUV then at Veronica and said with a mysterious smirk "You'll figure it out." before walking back to the SUV and getting into the drivers seat.

"You hot for her, man? Because you got a woman. And she's the bosses daughter. Too good for us."

"Question is, Dean, are you hot for her? Because you can sit there and say you do what you do to get under her skin and her father's skin but I know you too damn well." Roman said, Dean glaring at him and muttering something before rolling down the window, lighting up a cigarette.

"You do know she's pregnant.. Right?'

"Umm, yeah. Doesn't matter because we hate each other.. I just like makin her mad. Her face kinda scrunches up and it's funny." Dean insisted even as he thought to himself _'Well look who's a motherfuckin liar, huh? You want her man.. No matter what stuff comes with.. And you hate it because it eats at you and you cannot control it. You know you'd only fuck it up."_

Veronica punched the dash and Summer Rae laughed. "What the hell is so funny?"

"You when you're around Ambrose. If he weren't absolutely toxic for you and our little ballerina, girl.." Summer Rae pointed out as Veronica shook her head and said "Oh hell noooo. Not me and him, not now, not ever.. The bastard's waaaaay too damn cocky.. Besides, you all keep telling me he's bad."

Summer Rae shrugged. She'd seen Ambrose watching Veronica since she'd been going on the road with the show and her family, and parts of Summer wanted to believe that Dean might actally have a shred of decency somewhere waaaaay down deeeeeeep.. But then he'd open his mouth and she'd remind herself that Veronica was kind of fast becoming like a sister to her, to the other girls in their little group. And Dean Ambrose was known for wrecking girls lives.

And she'd already had huge heartbreak.. She'd already been hurt a lot in her life.

"Didn't say he was bad.. He's just not someone you can count on to be around no matter what.." Summer Rae explained as they drove towards the hotel.

Dean looked over at Roman and after a few moments he said bluntly, "If I liked that princessy bitch..Not saying I do or anything, but if I did.. I'd only hurt her, hurt the kid somehow."

Roman smirked to himself.. He'd suspected as much, it was gratifying to have his suspicions confirmed. "You don't actually know that, man.. I mean what are you going on, those other girls you'v e been with? Something someone else said? All that shit your mom did to you?"

"I just know, man, okay, god damn it? Let's drop this.. Tonight we drink."

"Her room's right down the hall you know.." Roman couldn't resist throwing out, he knew damn well Dean had paid the guy in the hotel lobby to give him that certain specific room. He claimed it was because there was a balcony he could sit out and smoke on, get fresh air if he had an episode when he drank too much or something.. But Roman knew Dean well enough by now to know that there was another reason. Dean just wasn't going to admit it to anyone, especially not himself.

"And?"

"I think you did it on purpose."

Dean fixed his eyes on Roman and said through gritted teeth "Fuckin drop it." as he lit up a cigarette and fumbled with the radio in the SUV.

Even if he did feel something for her..

The only way to get to her was through her father.. And given how he tended to fuck things up, he wasn't sure if it'd be a good idea.. Because what if he got bored and moved on?

Or worse.. What if the monster in him came out and he scared her?


	6. love you hate you kinda thing

O.o.O

"I don't like it, Steph.. Damn Ambrose keeps sniffing around her, upsetting her.. i'm half tempted to go over to the little shit and knock his teeth out." Paul said as he and Stephanie ate breakfast. Stephanie looked across the room at the table Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns sat at, then at the table her stepdaughter was sitting at with some of the girls on the roster, the girls engrossed in a deep and lively conversation.

"She's not even looking at him, Paul, would you relax? She's got better sense, she knows you said that the guys are off limits." Stephanie said adding mentally, _'And if you don't want to lose her a second time, babe, you might want to top cramming those rules down her throat.. Because my dad's no dating a pro wrestler thing didn't work with you now did it?' _but not daring to say it. She knew if she said it, Paul would be pissed beyond belief, and she didn't feel like the argument that would probably ensue. Besides, she knew she was right.

And she knew how big of a baby he was about their daughters, that's one of many reasons she loved him as much as she did. She sort of had a sneaking suspicion that their arguing and continuing anger with each other whenever Veronica came into contact with Dean Ambrose, was maybe deep down, one or both of them felt something for the other.

And if that were so, she definitely didn't dare tell Paul that. Because right now, things were tense, to say the least. Not that she didn't totally agree with and encourage what was going on currently, because the show was thriving, the ratings were beyond what anyone's wildest expectations had been in a long time, but..

She also didn't want to have to sit back and watch Paul and Veronica drift apart again. Not when Veronica needed her father in her life.. Not when things were just really starting to go well for the two of them bonding with each other, finally, without Veronica fighting them tooth and nail to keep them out and at bay.

She happened to see Veronica look up, catch Dean Ambrose staring at her, then covertly flip him off as she mouthed the word Pig at him. Stephanie smiled a little to herself despite all attempts not to, because of who the male in question was, because everything about the tension between Dean and Veronica reminded herself of her with Paul when they'd first encountered one another.

She heard Dean make some snide remark f rom across the room then heard Veronica respond to it with her own witty and cutting sarcasm, a trait she'd most definitely gotten from her father. And she just knew, somehow, that there was more to the banter and the 'love to hate you' attitude that both of them gave off with each other.

Veronica rolled her eyes as Dean immaturely taunted her from across the room. Flipping him off she retorted and then turned her attention to Emma, Paige, Summer Rae, Aksana and Alycia as she said with a soft smile, "So.. I saw our little ballerina yesterday, guys.. Wanna see?" as she pulled out a sonogram and put it on the table.

Squeals and awws went out as the sonogram was passed around. And being the asshole that he was, Dean happened to walk past on his way out.. And he stopped and looked at the picture a moment and then remarked "Looks like a damn pea."

"You're a douchebag. Seriously, Ambrose, someone oughta punch you in the fuckin.." Veronica said as she reminded herself of her vow to ignore any and all attempts he made to piss her off. If she took the joy he got in pissing her off away, maybe he'd leave her alone or something.

Not that she wanted that, deep down, she just wanted whatever odd thing it was that she felt towards him to kindly disappear so her life would go back to relatively normal, the way it had been before she'd met him a few weeks ago.

That wasn't too much to ask, she'd thought.. Apparently, she'd thought wrong.

She tried to bite her tongue, but he smirked and held her gaze, daring her to say something, have some kind of an angry outburst. She hated it, the naughty and teasing look in his eyes. The intent way he held her in his gaze as if he were the predator and she was his prey.

"Fuck off." she said finally, in a sweet and calm voice as she looked back down, started talking to her friends, blatantly ignoring him. And anyone who actually knew Dean Ambrose knew that he hated being ignored, he tended to do whatever he could to make the person ignoring him pay him attention.

Even if it was negative.

She looked up and he still stood there. "What?" she asked as he looked at her a moment and then said casually, "Ya look like shit is all."

"And you look soooo much better." Veronica retorted dryly as she stood and grabbed her food, looked at her friends who all gave him dirty looks.

They stalked out past him and he called out in a mocking tone "Nice talkin to ya, Princess."

She paused and stiffened her shoulders for a moment and Paige reminded her "If you ignore it, it will disappear.. Remember?" all while trying to hide a grin and hysterical laughter. She'd just walked past her father's table when her father spoke up and said firmly, "That guy's bad news.. I don't want to even think something's going on with you two."

"Seriously, Dad? You have to do this now?" Veronica asked, embarassed as she looked at him. Paul looked at her and said with a nod, "I do.. Because that guy's always hanging around, Veronica, and I don't like it.. I don't want you getting any ideas.."

"I'm not a fucking two year old for the love of Christ. Besides, it should be quite obvious, Dad.. We fucking hate each other."

"You better keep it that way, Veronica.. I mean it. I don't want you throwing away your life on somebody like that. He's trash.. He's always gonna be a bum."

"And Orton's such a fucking prize, huh?"

"What's that mean?"

"Just that I'm not an idiot, Dad.. I know why you keep insisting he accompany me everywhere. This isn't the Middle Ages, you're not marrying me off to Randy Orton. I'd probably throw myself off of a cliff if that came about." Veronica stated calmly, not quite sure why she was being so hostile suddenly.

She felt nothing for Ambrose, so it shouldn't be bugging her when her father warned her away. She should have been able to just agree and have that be that.

Why put up such a fight?

"I am not setting you up with Orton. I just trust him around you one hell of a lot more than that Ambrose bastard. Randy knows better than to try something."

She kept her mouth shut on that one, if her father knew how much time Randy spent trying to get in her pants, she was almost ninety percent certain that he'd feel like the hugest idiot in the history of being an idiot.

"Whatever, okay? I'm just hormonal today. I'm sorry, Daddy." Veronica said as she hugged her father and then set out for the pool with the girls. They were sitting poolside when the fight started, and they all looked at one another.

Roman and Dean had Seth and Randy cornered and Dean was really gunning for Randy, the two of them wound up in the pool during the course of the fight.

Veronica found herself watching intently, biting her nails. Twice, Alycia nudged her and said "Girl.. Don't even think it."

"What the hell started the fight?"

Paige shrugged and then said "According to Barrett, those two have been gunning for one another lately. Nobody knows the actual bloody reason. I have my suspicions, of course."

Summer Rae watched the fight and then said "Fandango said that it was because Randy was rubbing it in his face that Hunter always sends him to check on you.. That Hunter's practically welcoming him into the family with open arms."

"And that pisses him off why? The fucking hell is his deal? I mean he hates me. I hate him.. Why the fuck does he care?"

"Umm, maybe because he saw Randy try and kiss you last week and saw you shove Randy away? That's about when all this started, mate." Emma said as Aksana nodded in agreement and then added " Zey already hated each other.. Zis just gave zem another excuse to fight." to which Veronica nodded in agreement with before going back to watching the fight, which was about to be broken up by a few of the other guys who were hanging around poolside.

Dolph Ziggler got between Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose. Roman and Seth had already been broken up, but the problem with two stubborn assholes like Randy and Dean was that it took sometimes at least ten to break them up when both males were good and furious.

Stephanie observed the fight from her own spot at the poolside, sipping a drink as she watched her daughters playing in the shallow end and watched Veronica watching the fight, pretending disinterest yet wincing whenever a punch landed and connected with Dean.

Something similar had happened between Paul and Test once, over her. And Stephanie had sat much in the same way her stepdaughter was now, watching, worrying, mad at herself for even being remotely interested. And she could tell that _**unlike**_ her, Veronica looked uncomfortable with what was happening.

She hadn't ever liked violence that much.

And whether she admitted it or not, it was plain for anybody to see that right now, she was really not enjoying the two males fighting.

The fight had just broken up and Dean had stormed off to the bar when he felt a tap to his shoulder and turned around, only to have Veronica shove an ice pack and a wad of tissues at him and say calmly, "Your nose needs pressure on it and elevation . Or it's not gonna stop pouring blood, moron. The ice is for your eye. Or it's gonna swell shut." before turning on her heels and walking away.

Roman watched his friend watching the girl that he was sort of obsessed with but nobody dared comment, or touch her, look at her, hell even breathe on her, really.. The man's inner Moxley tended to surface if those things happened. He laughed and Dean asked through gritted teeth "What?"

"Nothing, man.. Just drink your beer and hold the tissues on your nose."

"What the fuck was so fuckin funny?"

"Trust me, Dean.. You don't want me to answer that." Roman said calmly as Dean swore under his breath and shotgunned the beer that'd been put in front of him while holding the ice pack to his eye.

Veronica slid back onto her purple pool float and looked at her friends who were all watching her intently. "What?"

"Nothing, Veronica. Nothing at all." Paige said as she tried her best not to laugh.

Just how hard headed were the two of them? Everyone else saw the signs but the two of them.


	7. conversation you can't run from

O.o.O

She'd just stepped out of her hotel room and into the hallway when she smacked into Dean. "Watch where the fuck you're going." he snapped as she looked at him and said with a smirk "You first." which only made him glare and grab her wrist with a warning squeeze. "Ya gonna push me one day, Princess. And I'm gonna fuckin snap." he said as he held her gaze and leaned in.

She smirked as she said mockingly "Ooh, I'm so terrified." while holding his gaze. His eye looked surprisingly well, as did the swelling on his nose.. Now he had stitches in his chin, he'd had to have them earlier in the week when a fight on live tv got too far out of hand.

"You should be." Dean stated as she looked at him, unimpressed. "I break girls like you."

"Can't break what's already broken, dumbass." Veronica retorted as he looked at her a moment, trying to figure out what her comment meant and who it was aimed at.

"In case you're wondering, Ambrose, the comment was aimed at other people. I don't talk about that shit either." Veronica said as the elevator doors slid open and they stepped on. The doors shut and they stood there, a thick and heavy and rather intense silence between them.

Until the elevator died.

She groaned and swore like a sailor on leave and his eyes diverted to her. He'd figured that a proper princess didn't talk like that.. She swore a good bit, yes, but nothing normally like she was right now, she was almost making swearing a high art form at the moment.

He laughed a little and then thought about what this meant.. He was trapped.. In a non moving elevator.. With a girl he'd obsessed over for almost a month now...A girl he stayed awake nights to avoid having really x rated dreams about.. A girl who would always be 'better' than him according to so many.

And he hated small spaces, he really did. Nobody knew that about him though.

Nobody actually knew anything beyond what he willingly offered, truth be told.. And the only way they did know anything about his past, was if they'd heard him cut his required promos.. Sadly, a lot of those were based on truth.

"I fuckin hate god damn small spaces." Veronica swore almost at the same time as he was saying the same thing. They looked at one another and she sat down on the floor, head between her knees. "Ya okay?" he asked, pretending indifference, but surprisingly concerned about her.

He knew that being around him stressed her out a lot, her friends were constantly being bitches about him coming around just to upset her like he did.

"Try pushing the buttons." she said as she didn't bother raising her head to look at him, instead she focused on taking long slow breaths to calm herself down.

He jammed his index finger on the buttons but nothing happened. He got pissed and kicked the elevator door and all that did was make her look up and ask him "Seriously? You're gonna fuckin kick this thing? Do you not realize, moron, we're basically dangling by a cable, a couple hundred feet in the air right now enclosed in a metal box... And that if you move this too much.."

"Well we gotta get the hell out of here somehow. Stop bitchin at me, woman." Dean snapped as he glared at her and then asked firmly, "I asked ya a question."

"I'm fine, damn it.. I just hate small spaces. I really, really hate them."

"And I said I did too. But I'm not sitting on the fuckin dirty floor panicking either." Dean said as he looked down at her. She looked up and said with a scowl "I'm not panicking. I'm dizzy, asshole, so I sat. It's called another lovely side effect of being pregnant. It happens sometimes when I get upset. Or move too quickly.. Which I did, when this thing stopped moving in mid transport."

"Okay, alright, god damn." Dean said as he waved his hands and finally flopped down onto the floor too, watching her. "Ya not gonna go into labor.. Right?"

She laughed hysterically and shook her head. "God I hope not. No, Ambrose, I am only two months along almost." she said as she bit her lower lip. It was really messing with her, being this close to him. And her heightened sense of smell (thanks to pregnancy, of course) was finding the cologne he wore intoxicating.

She went back to why she'd been about to leave the hotel and go for a drive.. What she'd needed to process and why.

She'd actually looked him up, online.. Watched some of his old promos.. Watched an old interview he did while he was still in the indies.

The things he'd been through then kind of horrified her. And she'd written him off as just another garden variety asshole. And she didn't like that, because clearly, she hadn't known his whole story. Not only that, she was starting to think that there was something to the way they fought like hell and purposely tried to do as much damage verbally to each other as humanly possible.

"What?" he asked her, wondering why she was just sitting there staring at him.

"Nothing.. Forget it." she said as she looked down abruptly, losing her nerve to say what she'd been considering saying to him.

He watched her with a raised brow, with the same wary look that someone would give a person who asked them to walk through an active minefield. It had to be horomones, something. Her biting her lip was driving him insane in more ways than one, and he thought about why he'd been heading down to the gym in town..

He'd just needed to think, that's all.. Because he'd found out quite a few things about this so called princess sitting next to him and he knew now that he was wrong about his assumption.. Not that he was going to give her the satisfaction o f admitting he'd been wrong..

He was staring at her again when she looked up and now it was her turn to ask him "What?"

"Nothin, damn." he muttered as she looked at the control panel on the elevator. "There's gotta be an emergency call button or something."

"Didn't see one."

"But there's a damn intercom in here." Veronica said as she looked at him, a little fear in her eyes. He looked at her and then shrugged and said "Someone's gonna find out this one's stuck, damn.. Pipe down."

"Asshole." she grumbled as she looked at him. Now she couldn't even call him an asshole without feeling like the worst woman in the world.

People had been incredibly cruel to him. If they hadn't, maybe he wouldn't be the asshole he was.

Kind of like her before she'd come to live with her father.

"Princess." he mumbled. The name did fit her, but not in the demeaning way he'd said it all the times before. Now it had a slightly different meaning.

But he'd rather die and burn in hell before he told her that. Or anyone else for that matter .The stitches on his chin began to itch, he began to scratch at them again. If he got his hands on Orton anytime soon he was going to gut the motherfucker. Between Orton's taunting him about Veronica, and HHH having it in for himself and Roman, he was just pretty damn sure that gutting Orton would inevitably solve all his problems.. Or Seth, that wormy little shit. Either one would work at this point, because if those assholes weren't part of HHH's side, he was almost ninety nine point nine percent certain he wouldn't have stitches in his chin currently.

"Don't.. Scratching the stitches is only gonna make them bust." she said as she looked at him. He looked at her and shrugged then said quietly, "They fuckin itch."

"That shouldn't have happened. I hate the way my dad's doing things. It's like he's not even remembering that he was one of you at one point. That everybody's equal. Nobody is more important than anybody else." Veronica blurted as she shifted her legs so that she was sitting on them, looking at him. He looked at her and shrugged.

"Doesn't bother me.. What bothers me is that little shit, Rollins. I fucking trusted him. I really don't trust anybody." Dean said as Veronica nodded and said with a bitter laugh "Neither do I. People screw you over in a heartbeat.. Like Tyler, my ex.. All it took was me saying I was pregnant and that I was not going to give up my kid.. Nor was I going to ask my dad for money whenever Tyler wanted it... He couldn't get away fast enough."

Dean shook his head, choosing not to comment. He didn't know that he wouldn't have done the same in the guy's situation, honestly. The thought of him trying to be a father, to anyone, was an astounding one to him.. He'd probably screw it up, his own damn father hadn't been around to be an example or anything. And he didn't even want to think about just how much mothering his mom had given him.

"It was a dick move.. But I'm not saying that if some chick told me that, I wouldn't have ran too. I mean I think I'd have eventually come back, hell, I don't know.. It's just.. It freaks most of us out.. Except for Roman.. He loves Jojo to death.."

Veronica smiled, she'd seen Reigns with his kid not too long ago, the little girl was adorable. And Roman was definitely a good father.

She was shocked when her mind posed the mental question _'And who knows.. Maybe Dean could be.. Nobody's ever given him a fair shake at anything. They write him off. Yeah, he thrives on it, or he seems to.. but it's gotta get lonely.. And you can't stop thinking about him..' _

She shot that one down mentally, because she was almost ninety percent certain that at this point, it was just missing the little things (and those damn sneaky and traitorous horomones, of course, damn them to hell) that was making her mind go all screwy on her.

He was not a good guy, he'd even warned her himself in not so many words.

The fact remained though, that little things he did or said, the way he carried himself, his cocky and don't give an actual crap attitude reminded her a lot of her father.

And her father had been amazing with her.. And he continued to be amazing with her three half sisters.

She scooted a little closer to him and digging through her pockets she pulled out a Snickers, held it out. He gave her a weird look but tore off the wrapper and bit into it, held it back out. "Somebody's gotta know this damn thing's not workin." he mused aloud as she took the candy bar and bit into it, added "They can't all be this damn stupid."

"Wanna bet, Princess?" Dean asked, Veronica laughed a little, the tension eased. He chuckled and then said "Where were ya going just now?"

"I was gonna take a drive.. I needed to think about some stuff."

"I was gonna go to the gym.. Wanted to take my mind off of some stuff.."

They shared a look for a few moments and then he asked her "Doing okay?"

She gave him a thumbs up and then took a few breaths as she asked "You?"

"All things considered, not so bad." he admitted as she nodded .

The elevator started to move again and when the doors opened in the lobby, they walked out, going their seperate ways once they hit the parking lot.

That whole thing just now had been intense for both parties involved. The air was almost buzzing with electricity.

Or something.


	8. overheard everything I

O.o.O

They huddled around the tv set in the green room, Veronica biting her lower lip as she grumbled swears to herself whenever Bray got a good maneuver in on Dean and Dean fell to the ground or something. At this point, she'd done her level best to not be around the man, even for a second, alone.

The other day, being trapped in the elevator with him had just been too damn much for her, really.. She hadn't been able to handle the heat and tension in the air between them. Unfortunately for her, he seemed all that much more determined to keep popping up, to keep saying things to cut her down, keep doing things that should've only proven just how much he supposedly hated her.

It should've made her hate him too, in all honesty. But for whatever reason, she couldn't do it and that really, really bugged her. Her ex, Tyler.. He hadn't even been under her skin this much and that was saying something, considering the situation she found herself in thanks to him.

And her own stupidity, because she was not writing this off as anything less than her having been an idiot. She should've listened to her father then. She'd be damned if she was going to make the same mistake twice.. He warned her about Dean, she was damn sure going to listen to those warnings.

Now if only she could convince her stupid heart to do that and stop tormenting her, stop reminding her at random just how shitty he'd had it when he was younger and why he was the way he was now. Now that she knew the complete truth about him, she'd figured that'd sort of kill the desire.

It didn't, apparently.

"Girl.. Are you really gonna say you hate the guy?" Alycia asked again as Veronica looked up from where her face was hidden in her friends shoulder and nodded then said calmly, "Hell yes. He's not a good guy, remember? Everyone keeps telling me that. Besides, I'm already messed up enough." which made Summer Rae shake her head and then point out "Not really.. You've just survived.. A lot."

"Yeah, but it's messed me up, trust me. I mean you guys know me, but.. you don't know everything. There are things that no one knows, actually.. And that's how it's gonna stay. Let's talk about something else.. How's the plan against El coming? God I wish I could do more to help out on that one, I cannot stand that stupid catty twat." Veronica asked in a hurry, changing the subject or trying to.

Paige, however, saw right through it and got up, shut the door and sat back down. "Out with it.. If we hadn't warned you against him.. If your father hadn't forbidden him, Veronica.. Do you think you'd still feel this way?"

Veronica groaned and looked at her hands. Hands were such a fucking convienient thing, really, always there when you didn't want the truth to be read in your eyes as plain as day. And the truth was, that yes.. She probably would. There was just something about him, made her crave the bastard, even when she shouldn't or worse, didn't want to.

"Uh uh.. Eyes up here, boo." Alycia said as she tilted her friend's chin so that she had to look up at all of them, then paused to take a largeish bite of popcorn from the concession stand. "You gonna answer?"

"Okay, alright, damn it.. Ughh, I don't want to want him, I wanna hate the bastard just for the simple fact that he's a guy and at least 90 percent of guys, especially the ones who seem to catch my eye, are dicks." Veronica admitted as Paige crowed in delight and Emma high fived her. "I owe you a twenty."

"You two bet on this? Fucking seriously? Ughh, I can't right now." Veronica scowled as she turned her back on the group of girls. Summer sat next to her and said quietly, "There's a more important issue here though.. What are you gonna do about it?"

"Not a damn thing, girl, are you fuckin nuts? That's a psycho for one, and for two? Guy fuckin hates me.. Like hate as in wouldn't piss on me if I were on fire.. He thinks I'm some rich little bitch who's just looking for kicks, wants to have a little danger or excitement in her life. He doesn't actually know the real me, and he won't, either. Because in case any of you have forgotten, my father will kill him." Veronica said as she held her friend's gazes.

She smiled a little, sheepish, when they promptly began to crow and cluck like chickens. "Okay, damn it. Look, I admitted it, okay? That's all I gotta do. It's out there. I expect all of you to keep that shit on the DL." Veronica said as she saw someone walk past the door and on down the hallway through the crack in the door.. She pivoted and turned to Paige, hand on her hip.

"I thought you closed that door."

"I did. But we've been in here talking, maybe someones been out there listening?" Paige said as she smirked, shrugged. "Right, girl, because this isn't your obsession with Bad News on the line here."

"I'm bloody going to tell him. You, on the other hand.. Keeping all this in.. Kind of stupid don't you think?"

"Nope, not at all.. But it doesn't matter now, somebody fuckin heard it all." Veronica groaned as she shook her head then threw her head back laughing bitterly.

Her horomones.. She'd blame them again, damn it.

Anything but facing the truth of the matter. Because facing the truth of the matter, simply put, was fucking scary.. For once in her life, she wanted something so badly.. She wasn't sure what she'd do to get it. She'd been rebellious before, but she'd promised herself and her father of course, those days were long behind her..

But if he made a move or something, or heaven forbid, they found themselves stuck on another elevator or something.. Were they really behind her?

Or was she going to cave into something she should by all means have more self control over?

Why did this one fucking guy do this to her? Without trying?

She didn't know, but she did know that she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. Not when she was trying to start over with a clean slate.. Not when the guy in question was scary, tempermental and a known psycho, a true wild man..

Down the hallway, Dean smirked to himself. He'd gotten an earful just now. So she was going to keep avoiding him, huh? Well he'd just see about that.

His mind went back over the things he knew about her. He'd judged her wrongly. Somehow knowing that only made his obsession stronger.

The only way, he figured at least, was to break it somehow.. Maybe by actually getting her to himself... And it'd drive the boss crazy, so that was more or less satisfying to him.

Killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

She was going to stop avoiding him, whether she liked it or not. Because damn it, he hated her being under his skin like this. He wanted her and it wasn't often that Dean Ambrose didn't get exactly what he wanted.

This time would be no different.


	9. overheard everything II

O.o.O

A low grumble escaped her lips as she turned the hallway in the backstage area of the arena, and she found herself face to chest with an amused Dean Ambrose who was smirking at her. "What?"

"Nothin." Dean said as he asked "Haven't seen ya around as much since we got trapped in that elevator.. Princess. I kinda think ya been avoiding me. Actually, no, I'm pretty damn sure.. I'm willing to bet money on that." while his eyes roamed over her slowly. On closer look, he noted to himself, she was kinda hot and he wondered why he hadn't actually stopped to notice that before. There was her eyes, her lips, full and begging to be bitten during a heated kiss. He had the passing thought of just pinning her against the wall and doing that very thing, but when she opened her mouth again, the notion quickly vanished.

She glared at him and quickly averted her gaze. To get distracted by and lost in the depths of those icy blue eyes of his.. It'd be her undoing, she knew this, she wasn't stupid. "And? It's not like it matters, Ambrose, god damn. Wanna move your ass?" she asked, trying to keep her tone neutral, trying not to convey any other meaning in her words. He pretended to wince and trailed his finger along his lower lip as he smirked and shaking his head said "Sticks and stones, princess.. Sticks and stones. Ya feelin alright? You look a little flushed."

"Asshole." she muttered to herself as she bit her lower lip and unfortunately, looked up into those icewater blue eyes of his and proceeded to do the very thing she'd been trying to avoid doing. "I'm fine, not like it actually matters. The mind games, Dean.. My daddy isn't in the arena anymore, he had to take Steph to the doctor.. Because of that move Roman pulled? Cute, by the way. Oh, and they're on to you by the way, the way you always seem to pop up wherever I am. So just cut it out, Ambrose, because this isn't one battle you wanna fight. It won't be worth it."

"What makes ya think I'm playin games, huh, Princess?" he asked as he looked at her, for a moment pretending to be hurt. Then he smirked and shrugged and looked at her. Leaning in, he whispered casually, "You can fight it until you're takin your last breath, Princess.. But I know what ya want. And I know what I want.. And I'm not used to not gettin it, either. So cut the bullshit.. Why keep fightin, huh?"

She glared at him. Had someone told him what she said in the green room last week with the girls? Or had he been the one who'd overheard? Either way, she gulped. If he knew, she was fucked.

_'Maybe not.. Do the smart thing, Veronica, walk your ass away now.. You've heard all the stories about this jerk, you know he's only in it to stick it to your father. He's not capable of feeling anything.. for anyone.. And you've tried the whole 'waiting on a guy to change' thing. With your kid on the way, this really isn't the best time to pick a guy who's not gonna be around in say five years.. hell.. he might not even stick around five months.. All the guys back here are pretty much the same.' _she thought to herself as she sucked in a breath and then calmly counted to five, which only made him burst into laughter and look at her with a raised brow. "Truth kinda scares you, huh?" he asked, fully amused with and enjoying this situation.

"Fuck off, Ambrose. For the last time. I'm telling you, this whole thing is not worth what's gonna happen to your ass if you really fuck up and piss my dad off." which made him laugh and pretend to shiver in fear. She knew he wasn't scared, he didn't have to prove that to her.. But why the fuck wasn't he just heeding her warnings and backing the fuck down?

There couldn't be more to his little 'attacks' and 'encounters' than trying to unnerve her and get to her father that way, right? Before she could answer, Randy Orton called her name from down the hallway and Dean grabbed her up, not even asking if it were okay to do so, stuck her into a room that wasn't in use. "Fuckin stay put, got it?"

She raised a brow and the fights that'd started earlier in the program continued with Dean attacking both Randy and Seth, intent to kill if he could, severely injure if he couldn't. Roman joined in a few minutes later, as well as Ziggler, who happened to be in the hallway. She could hear from the room Dean had practically shoved her in, safely out of the way, when Dean got hold of Randy, the things he said.

All had to do with the way Randy kept trying with her too. Why the hell did he sound more like a protective and slightly psychotic pissed off boyfriend or lover than just a guy who didn't like to see guys like Randy keeping on with girls who clearly weren't interested in him in the first place? And when the hell had he noticed what Randy tried to do when her father's back was turned and it was just her alone in a room with him?

This fighting, her name being bought into it both made her extremely uncomfortable and surprisingly angry. Dean turned on Seth and began to beat the hell out of him because of the way he'd sold out, betrayed his so called brothers just to become another one of her dad's 'golden boys'. Personally, Veronica wouldn't piss on either Randy Orton or Seth Rollins if they were on fire, that's where she agreed with the roster as a collective whole.

The fight got broken up and the door to the little room opened, Dean stormed in with Roman in tow, swearing, holding a napkin to his nose. His stitches were also burst open and glaring, Veronica grabbed hold of him, practically dragged him to the medic in the back, not taking time to stop and think of who might see her with him and run back to report to daddy hoping to get in his good graces.

The medic, of course, was off at the concession stand eating left over pastrami on rye again. Grumbling, Veronica began just going through drawers at random and gathering things to clean out the cuts and scrapes on Dean's face, offering Roman an ice pack in case he needed it. Roman watched all this with a look of amusement and then remarked casually, "You do realize that half the entire roster saw what just happened, saw you walking down here with us.. Right?"

"My dad's good to me. It's you guys who only get the jackass side for whateve r reason.. And just because I'm his kid, guys, doesn't mean I care for or agree with the things he and my stepmother do or say.. Just because they say it's best for business.. It doesn't make it right." Veronica grumbled as she worked on patching up the burst stitches.

"So are ya a nurse or somethin?"

"Actually, no.. I'm a mechanic.. And a bartender. But you'd be surprised how much this shit comes in handy back at the shop I work at." Veronica said stiffly as she sat down, straddling his lap and began to pour peroxide into the opened wound in his chin, laughing when he winced.. "You're such a badass. That cannot possibly sting." she taunted mockingly as he tilted her chin up and then pointed out what Roman had earlier, that when HHH got wind of how she'd helped them after the brawl in the hallway after the show, the shit was indeed going to hit the fan.

"Let me handle that, guys. I'm not afraid of my dad. And I really don't much care what he's got to say. Helping is the decent thing to do."

"Yet you came down here with us and not his two pets." Roman mused, nudging Dean who shrugged and grumbled, ground out a few obscenities through gritted teeth as she continued working on him. "Yeah? Well I wouldn't piss on Rollins or Orton if their asses were on fire, okay?" Veronica grumbled as she slid off of Dean's lap and then looked at Roman who shrugged, waved her off. "My girl's waiting back at the hotel.. She's used to this kinda shit." Roman said with a smirk as Veronica laughed a moment and then looked squarely at Dean, said firmly, "Don't read too much into what I just did."

"Not planning on it." Dean lied as he smirked, watched her moving around the medic's office, putting the things she'd gotten out of cabinets and drawers carefully back into place. Roman mouthed to his friend "You got this?"

"yeah. go on man." Dean mouthed back as he slipped over to the door once Roman was out and shut it, turning the lock quietly. He crossed the room and stood behind her, turned her around quickly and quietly. "Gettin a little fuckin tired of this cat and mouse shit." he grumbled as he picked her up, sat her on the counter and began to forcefully kiss her, nibbling those full lips of hers, smirking as she at first clearly tried to plant her hand on his chest and firmly shove him back, but wound up giving in, resistance to the gesture gone, completely and totally shocked at the moment. The kiss broke and she looked at him , wide open hazel eyes which kind of had this warmth to them currently, she was probably furious and Dean was willing to bet that if she were brave, she'd probably try at least, to put him on his ass.

But he didn't give a crap, either. He was sick of closing his eyes at night, seeing her in his mind. Sick of being painfully aware of her presence backstage, sick to death of hearing her voice when he'd be out at bars or something. It was starting to interfere with his life as it was, and he wasn't gonna stand for it anymore.

"What the fuck was that?" she asked, stunned and angry, a little confused to boot as her mind argued _'Oh come off of it.. You wanted that.. You've been dying for the guy to do that since the first time you set sights on his scowling face. Now that he has, why ask why?' _as she continued to glare, promptly started pacing the medic's office, only to be stopped by his hands, his body cutting off her path.

" Ya liked it."

She glared at him, not amused. "What the fucking hell were you thinking, huh? Do you not realize that I'm constantly telling you to back the fuck off for your own good?"

"No, you're not. Ya scared. That's the only reason ya keep on puttin up such a damn fight. I heard ya, ya know.. Tellin the girls you're always talkin to how ya really feel. I hate bein lied to."

"But I didn't lie to you, you crazy bastard! I just told them that I wasn't gonna tell you any of that. For reasons, damn it. For your own damn good.. Not mine. You don't know me, Ambrose.. Because if you really did, you'd realize just how damn stupid it is that you continue to judge me based solely on who my dad is, who he's married to and what he does for a living. We're two fucking seperate people, me and him." Veronica said as she started to pace again as Dean leaned back, waved his hands, smirked at her calmly before starting to spout off things he shouldn't have known about her..

Things only her immediate family knew. She stopped and turned to look at him, rage in her eyes. "How the fuck do you even know any of that?"

"Because, Princess, your daddy talks on the phone all the time.. With it on speaker, and the door halfway god damn open. Everybody knows his shit, kinda why so many are beyond fuckin pissed with him right now. He don't hide anything. It's admirable, sorta, but at the same time, it makes you wanna punch his fuckin face in too." Dean said bluntly as Veronica looked at him and then said "Fine.. Since we're on that, I did a little digging around about you too, Jonathan Good.. Ohio, right? And your mom was the sole reason your entire childhood was fucked. She's probably the reason you have issues with women now, actually.. And the crazy thing's not entirely an act. You get really angry, really quick.. Case in point, you've been in trouble before, backstage at a show when it took half the fuckin locker room to break you and another guy up. You treat people like shit so they don't do it to you first."

"And?"

"And, Ambrose, I'd think that given what you've said you know about me and what I've obviously found out about you, you'd realize I'm anything but a god damn princess.. And I really, really fuckin hate when you call me that."

"So your real ma was a bitch too. Big fuckin deal." Dean said as he looked at her. She looked at her hands and said quietly, "She was more than a bitch.. Do you know when I came to actually live with my dad? Do you even know how that came about?"

He shook his head and she said with a bitter smirk "She was dating this asshole who was always high, always in trouble with the cops.. He didn't like kids because they 'slowed him down'. So my mom bought me here.. She pinned a note to my overalls that night and she left me for my father to find.. And when he came out, saw her, they had the mother of all confrontations, I heard everything she really felt about having me around... Of course, he suspected I was his whenever he'd visit when I was much smaller.. But he didn't actually know until that night and even though he apparently wanted to, he couldn't actually do a damn thing to get me living with him.. I fought them tooth and nail when I came to live with them finall, so they wouldn't get close then screw me over just like my mother did. Kicker to all this? My mother lives in Berkeley.. She's got a whole new family, more kids.. And she told me that she never wants to see me, she doesn't want to be reminded of how shitty her life used to be."

"Thought ya mom was dead."

"I told my dad that. He has no idea she's alive and well, has herself a whole new name and a whole new life. I actually went to see the bitch when I left home with the guy who got me pregnant then ran like hell. My point Ambrose, is we're not that much different. I mean I got lucky, I didn't have the nightmare you did growing up.. But we're both really, really messed up."

"Ya not. Ya know all about me, I made it outta that shit." Dean said as he held her gaze and looked at her. The tension was back in the air again and he moved closer, pointed out "And ya a grown ass woman.. So the way I see it, Princess? If ya want me like ya told all those girls ya hang around with back here.."

She grumbled and looked at him then said "It'd never work."

"Probably not.. But frankly, Princess, ya driving me fuckin insane and it's starting to affect me. I don't like that shit, either. You think I wanna want you? Huh? Something's gotta give."

She bit her lower lip and then laughed as she looked at him. "You.. You're issuing me an ultimatum? Seriously? Did you or did you not just hear everything I said? I do not want to open myself up again, to anyone, ever. No way in hell am I gonna spend the rest of my life getting left and screwed over." she said as she sighed and then added quietly, "Besides.. It's like I said.. I'd only wind up messing things up, okay?"

He almost snorted in laughter.. So it wasn't the fact that he was known for being a little insane.. It wasn't the way everybody talked about him and were afraid of him that kept her from caving in.. it was for whatever reason, she didn't think she was actually good enough. It was almost enough to make him laugh his ass off when he stopped to think about it.. Other girls ran in fear and kept him at bay for totally different and much more sane reason.

"Whatever. But sooner or later, Veronica.. Ya gonna cave in. We both know it. Just save yourself the hassle and fuckin do it already." he said as she grumbled and looked at him then said "I can't just do things because I wanna anymore.. I do have another person to consider in all this. And I'm not looking to screw up my own kids life worse than mine was screwed up.. And I really don't think you want all that baggage."

He mulled it over for a moment. Then he waved his hand at her and said in a stiff voice, "I fuckin need to think." before walking out of the medics office, slamming the door behind him. Veronica bit her lower lip and then the mental debate began again, twice as intense as ever. Parts of her wanted him to be done with her now, just so she didn't have to actually try and have things fail or get hurt again.. But parts of her also hoped to hell she hadn't totally messed this up.. Because she actually was falling for the bastard, as crazy as it may seem to most (and herself).. And she did want to at least give the guy a chance, show him that love wasn't quite the way he saw it to be.

"It is what it is.. Whatever happens, happens. I'm not gonna stress out over it. If he keeps coming around, I'll make a decision.. If he backs off, I guess I broke the little obsession he had over me." she muttered as she walked out of the medics office and then to her car in the parking garage. It'd been a long night and she needed to sleep.

And for once, maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't torment herself by dreaming about him.

She had the feeling that wouldn't be the case, his kisses still tingled her lips, the rough way he'd taken control and asserted himself in that situation kind of turned her on. She grumbled to herself.

If this wasn't the most fucked up situation she'd ever gotten herself into in her life, she really didn't know what would be anymore. And she worried about what his 'thinking' would do... Would he be done with her or not?


	10. space I

O.o.O

"You realize drinking isn't going to help you figure this out, right?" Roman asked his best friend calmly as he slid onto the empty barstool next to Dean's and ordered himself a beer too. Dean shrugged and flicked ash from his cigarette into an ash tray and then said "I'm not fuckin kid friendly. But hearin her remind me that.. Still didn't make me magically stop wanting her like I do. It's fucked up and I know we're both better off if I leave her the hell alone like she asks. But I don't wanna, actually."

Roman snickered and Dean punched his arm and practically growled "Shit's not fuckin funny, Reigns. You know me.. You think I like being this into a damn girl? You think I like not being able to turn this shit off and ignore it? Cause I fucking don't. And I find nothing amusing about it, man. Then there's this shit storm with her fuckin dad.. Guy's never gonna accept me, I know it."

"And since when do you really care?" Roman asked as Dean drunkenly flicked more ash into the ashtray, exhaled deeply and then said "I don't.. Just saying is all. She might actually want us to get along, and I'm not gonna do it. Because I don't fuckin see things his way. And I never will." as Roman stared at Dean who gave him a look and then said angrily, "What?"

"Seems like you've got your mind made up.. So what are you gonna do, Ambrose? Avoid her? Try and work through this on your own? I mean to hear you talking, man, you're gonna give up completely." Roman asked as he took the beer that the bartender finally sat down in front of him and took a long pull from the bottle, watching his best friend carefully.

"Didn't say I was done yet, damn it.. I just said I needed to fuckin think." Dean insisted as Roman nodded and then smirked to himself. Of course he wasn't done, he wouldn't be Dean Ambrose if he didn't keep pushing things, testing boundaries and all that jazz. He screwed up more relationships than anyone else Roman personally knew, and to the tall Samoan that was saying a lot, because he'd come to realize that a lot of the men they shared a roster with? Dogs.. At least ninety percent of them were off the market but kept right on playing the field.. And they wondered why their marriages and relationships didn't work out. Personally, he was fine with what he had, he didn't want anybody else, anything else but the life he lived currently.

And he didn't like drama or complicated bullshit, so he wasn't the kind of guy who'd slip up easily.

"Thinking's fine, Ambrose.. But I think that you know the answer already.. And I think, Ambrose, that you won't just admit it, because the answer fucking petrifies you.. Because you can't control it, you couldn't stop it from happening. Now that it has, you don't know what to do. Trust me, bro.. That's how it all starts.. But you better do something because we're not going to let that asshole of a COO win."

"Damn straight, Reigns."

"So.. Are you fighting two battles, Ambrose, or just this one?" Roman asked, Dean shrugged and then remarked "What if she's right, man? I mean, hell.. Not good at stayin put or not fuckin things up.. What if I try this and I wind up realizing I didn't wanna do it in the first god damn place? I mean my old man walked out on me, haven't seen or heard from the bastard ever."

Roman shrugged. Truthfully, he didn't know what to tell his friend, he'd never had this situation happen to him.. When he'd fallen for his girl, they'd both been young and single. They'd had to go through the parent thing together.. He hadn't come into a premade situation like this. And he knew that his 'brother' had been through every hell a guy could actually face in life and that was why he was the person he was now. But it all went without saying.. When you finally fall in love with someone, you can't control how it happens, or with who, or why it happens. You just have to trust and hope to hell it all works out for the best.

Sometimes, if you're lucky, it does. Other times, it doesn't.

Dean's predicament was that he purposely messed things up, he purposely tested people, pushed them as far as they'd absolutely go. When he found their breaking point or what they couldn't handle, he'd either turn on them, disgusted and bored, angry at them for a situation he'd created to start with, or he'd get mean, he'd get obsessed and he'd keep at them until things spun way out of control.

Roman was worried that this time the fallout was going to affect more than just his friend.. It affected him to a degree, so he was going to do his level best to make Dean either realize he didn't want this girl for any permanent space of time, or that he did, and maybe Dean shouldn't fight it all so hard, he shouldn't push so damn hard.

Dean looked at Roman and laughed bitterly, muttered something Roman couldn't quite make out and then said "Maybe it's better if I stay the fuck outta her hair, huh? I mean me as a fuckin dad.. That'd never be something I could picture I don't think."

Roman shrugged and said after sipping his beer "There was a point in time, Ambrose, I couldn't picture it for me either.. Then my kid came and I can't really explain what happened to me after. But it's amazing. And you're not bad with my daughter, I've watched you with her... I wouldn't leave her with you for a few minutes when she's visiting with her mom if I didn't trust you."

Dean shrugged and said quietly, "Maybe it's because I know I can just give her back when I can't take it anymore.. But if I keep on with Veronica.. The kid will be here, then I'd have to take 'em both.. Wouldn't be fair, I don't think, if I told her one thing then just left one day."

The fact that Dean was even considering someone else other than himself as more than a passing notion was something that made Roman choke on his beer a little and look at his 'brother' with a brow raised. "Is this Ambrose thinking of other people?"

Dean shrugged, gave him the finger and stubbed out the cigarette he'd been smoking. "I just gotta fuckin think.. That's all." Dean said as Roman looked at him and nodded then pointed out "You have a while to think about it, man.. She's what, two months along, if that?"

"Yeah, but if I'm just gonna fuck it up on purpose to walk away, I'd rather not even attempt. I'm kinda too damn lazy like that." Dean said as Roman thought to himself _'Right, man.. That's why for the second night in a row, I'm finding you here, sitting alone at the hotel bar, drunk off your ass. Because you don't care. If I'm supposed to buy that, buddy, where's the bridge you're gonna sell me, huh?' _but nodding all the same, letting the matter drop for now. Maybe he shouldn't be in Dean's face about it, but Dean had been avoiding Veronica for a few days now and he was getting meaner and more careless, moodier, with each second that passed. And frankly?

It was driving Roman Reigns absolutely one hundred and twenty percent nuts.

This was a new one, even for Dean.. And Roman thought he'd known all of his 'brother's mood swings before now. Clearly, he'd thought wrong.

Across the bar, Seth Rollins sat watching, glaring. If Dean even breathed on the bosses daughter again, Seth had clear instructions. As did Randy.. And for once, Seth thought to himself, he wouldn't mind beating the living hell out of Dean Ambrose.. Because Dean kept attacking him for his so called betrayal and frankly? Seth was getting more than a little sick of the bastard popping up out of nowhere during one of his matches, daring to steal his precious screen time.

As if he'd ever be as good or even on the same level as Seth was.

"Cannot wait to tell the boss that idiot's actually considering making a move on Veronica. That oughta seal my place with HHH."


	11. space II

O.o.O

"Thought we both agreed you weren't gonna flirt with the guys back here.. I specifically told you, Veronica, these guys aren't good enough for you. And Dean Ambrose? He's the worst one of 'em all." Paul stated calmly as he held his daughter's gaze. Veronica grumbled. It had to have been that two toned little spidermonkey bitch Seth or Orton because she dumped a Slushie on him earlier because again, he was being an ass, and again, it got on her last fucking nerve the way he always hung around. One or the other of them had really done it this time, putting her name in with Dean's when there was nothing there.

The guy hated her.. He'd most definitely just been using her to get to her dad, she knew this now because he hadn't even looked at her in a little over a week. Which should have, by all counts, been a damn good thing.. But it had her a bit moody, and despite all better attempts to just move on and not worry too much over the fact that he was ignoring her or something, she was more than a little annoyed and truth be told, a little hurt by it. She sighed and tried focusing on what her father said as she looked up at him and said calmly, quietly, "I'm grown, first of all. And secondly, if one of the two morons that are your pets as of late told you this, then you really, really need to check your damn facts, sir. Because not only do I not like him, he actually kinda hates me. Because of you, actually."

"Because of me, huh?" Paul asked, brow raised. He knew that most likely, she was moodier than normal due to the ever changing horomones present in a pregnant woman, but parts of him had this feeling that somewhere at the base of this recent moodiness was Dean Ambrose. They were on downtime for a few days, the little son of a bitch was still a thorn in his fucking side. He glared a moment, then asked quietly, "Why because of me?"

"Because, dad, he automatically assumed that I'm a princess, okay? And other things.. Just go. I do not feel like wasting the day fighting with you. But you gotta accept what I say at face value. I am not leading him on, nor am I flirting with him. We actually dislike each other. Or something. But either way it goes, Dad, I'm an adult woman. If I actually fall for a guy who happens to be a pro wrestler, then yes.. I will be with said guy. I'm not, however, actively trying to find love again. I actually don't want it and don't honestly think I deserve that kind of relationship with a guy. I always seem to have the worst judgement where men are concerned." Veronica stated as she stood and stretched, walked down to the other end of the hotel's big pool, climbing in. She'd wandered out to the deeper end when she heard shouting up at the poolside.

A quick look told her that her father wasn't going to just let this go. He had Dean by the collar, and he was in his face. She swore and got out, stormed over and said "Dad, seriously. Fucking stop already. If this asshole liked me, he'd actually act like it. He doesn't, so fucking lay off. Stop being that dick you play on the show." as she gave Dean an apologetic look, grabbed her towel and started to storm out of the pool's gated area. Paul called out to her, asked her where she was going and she stopped in her tracks, turned slowly and then said with a shrug, "Out.. Away from the display of asshole and ego. To get fresher and better air, Daddy. When you two finish this whatever the hell it is, and you're being Paul Levesque, my father again, text or something."

He gave her a warning look and Dean studied her with a raised brow. Paul muttered something and dropped the hold on Dean's shirt collar, said with a smirk "Oh.. Don't worry, Ambrose.. You will be dealt with.. Later."

Stephanie calling his name had him walking away, leaving Dean to walk out of the pool area, then jog across the parking lot, tapping on the drivers window of Veronica's car. She rolled down the window, giving him a strange look. "What?"

"Back there.. I heard ya arguin with him. Ya not even close to right.." Dean said calmly as he studied her. She looked twice as stressed as she normally did, something had to be wrong. She noticed the concerned look and said quietly, "I fucking hate watching his whole ego and powertrip thing. It pisses me off the way he treats you guys."

"So that's it?"

"Pretty much, Ambrose.. You're the one who's been avoiding me, not the other way around this time. Guess I was right about you all along." she said as she started to start the car's engine. She grumbled, swore aloud when the passenger door and Dean flopped down into the passenger seat. "Get out. I said I wanted to go for a drive. Did not say I wanted to fight or argue, or whatever the hell we'd wind up doing."

"So drive already. Ya not gettin rid of me that easy, princess. Not until I explain some shit ya keep forgetting to you." Dean said as he held her gaze, watched her roll her eyes in annoyed frustration. She pulled out of the parking lot and merged into traffic then said "If you keep pissing him off, he's just going to keep coming up with ways to punish you, you know."

"She does care." he taunted as he turned up the radio mostly to block out the awkward silence. Veronica looked at him and retorted "I never said that." as she turned the radio down and said through gritted teeth, "I don't get you.. You come on all strong and then we have that argument about why it'd never work.. Then you avoid me.. Now you're in my car and you're insinuating that it's my fault or something when you're clearly the one who was avoiding me this time.. Look, I'm not looking for a rollercoaster ride or something, damn it."

He stared her down and shrugging said "Ya under my skin, god damn it. And for once, I actually can't seem to ignore it. And that makes me mad." while holding her gaze. The light they were stopped beneath turned green and he spoke again as she took o ff down another road and said firmly, "All this bullshit and stress.. it ain't good for you."

"Aww.. He cares." she taunted him, turning his words from earlier against him, smirking about it. They both laughed a moment and Dean scratched his fingers through his hair as Veronica remarked "Just a warning.. Either that two toned little shit Seth told Dad about you popping up like you do and insinuated that we were kind of together, or Orton did.. So knowing my dad's new ego trip.. you're as good as fucked come smackdown. And I'm sorry.. It's my fault."

"No, it's not. Look.. I'm not gonna fuckin lie.. I started all this, I think, to get under ya dad's skin.. Now I don't know what's going on." Dean admitted as he looked at her. It was as close as she was getting to him actually saying what he thought he felt, what he might be willing to try for her.. He didn't say things well. And when he did, when he put it all on the line, people fucked him over.

She nodded and muttered mostly to herself _"I fuckin thought so" _before taking a deep breath and then looking at him, debating on whether she should actually do what her friends all seemed to suggest she should do, give things a chance.. She bit her lower lip and then said "It kinda sucks though.. You avoiding me, I mean.. I was gonna say to hell with it all and go for what I wanted for once.. Not what daddy or my stepmom picked for me.. Not what I knew wasn't right, but I was settling for just to get me away from parents who were just trying to be actual parents and not shitty ones.."

"I'm in the car now, ain't I?" he asked, looking at her, smirking. He wasn't really sure what else to say or do. He could tell she wasn't either. She shrugged and turning on the AC said finally, "Yeah.. You are." as she took a deep breath.. Maybe this was all going to work out okay?

She'd let go, she'd let herself fall and all she could do now was wait to land hard and painfully, or be caught and held. She hoped to hell that it wasn't another one of those messy painful crash landings.. She just didn't think she could really handle those well anymore.

"So.. I may or may not be fightin one or the other of those two god damn apes Friday." he said casually, as she looked at him and said with a slight grin, "And you'll kick their asses. Because it's what you do. You kick ass." which made him both laugh and raise a brow. She added quietly, "The question is now.. You're obviously in the car.. And I've said what I said.. What happens now?"

"Fuck if I know, Veronica." Dean muttered quietly as he shifted his gaze to a window. She smiled a little and then said "Well, for starters.. I'm hungry and apparently, this little person I'm carrying around wants the biggest and messiest cheeseburger it can be fed... So I'm gonna find a fast food place." as he nodded and then said "Think I kinda want food too."

"So we'll get food. After that, we just take things as they come." Veronica suggested. He nodded and then said with a shrug, "Fine with me." though deep down, he wasn't sure what in the hell he actually should do.. He'd had this big grand speech planned out, he was going to get in her face, show her why she couldn't even consider ever being with another guy.. But really, he was, like her, too afraid to actually say how he felt.

Because they all left.

_Maybe this time_, he thought to himself as he watched her driving, laughed at some of the stuff she was t elling him, mostly to make and keep an idle and half assed conversation going.. _Maybe this time things will be different.. Roman said not to push so god damn hard.. Maybe this time I don't do this my way._


	12. you got in the car

**( Before I start, I wanna clarify a thing.****.. I'd originally decided against doing this, making her have met Dean when he was still on independent as Jon Moxley.. But after proofreading last night, and a sudden burst of inspiration for something later on, I've decided that yes.. They did know each other before.. So all the bitterness and jabs taken at each other, all the arguing and stuff.. It all happened because they knew each other and Dean was angry at Veronica for choosing 'daddy' over him the first time around then running off and away. If it doesn't make sense, sorry.. Just going with the musi on this one. I wanna thank all of my lovely, awesome and amazing readers/followers of the story so far and my reviewer, WolfGirl. you all rock)**

O.o.O

They crammed themselves into a secluded back booth and Dean looked around the place tentatively. He didn't see Seth or Randy or any other of the roster's many kiss asses, but that didn't mean they weren't around. "Would you chill? Paranoid much?" Veronica asked as Dean looked at her a moment and then said "Stress ain't good for ya. Besides.. We both know by now.. We've been here before.. This same place with shit.. And shit goes badly wrong." he admitted, revealing that yes, he remembered her from his Moxley days.. And that he hadn't forgotten how close they'd been, the whole odd chemistry that existed. She gaped at him a moment and said quietly "You actually remember?" before adding "Yeah? Well neither is you tripping balls over nothing, so... I'm gonna tell you what I told my darling father before he pissed me off so badly I stormed out of the pool area.. I'm a grown ass woman. And I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do. And he can either adapt to it, or he can choose to disown me when we don't see eye to eye."

"Don't act like ya don't give a damn."

"I do, but.. I'm sick of his ego. And he messed this up for me, hell, for us once already.. And I hate myself because I fucking let him, okay? Then I went off and did the worst thing possible to childishly get revenge.." Veronica said as she waved a waitress over and asked for menus. Then promptly ordered the biggest, messiest burger with the most bacon on it. Dean gave her a strange look but ordered pretty much the same thing, but told the waitress to go hard on the fries, he didn't like fries that weren't salty.

"You're gonna dry your blood out."

"You're gonna get a fat ass."

She gave him a dirty look and sipped the drink that the waitress bought over then said "So.. What made you get in the car? Considering our history then, and how things always go to shit for both of us sooner or later.."

"Honestly? I'm still tryin to figure it out." Dean said as he sipped the beer he ordered, shoving it out of sight when Veronica looked at it longingly. She pouted, he shrugged. "That shit don't work on me.. And it never will."

"It's kinda one of the reasons I like you, honestly. You've never tried kissing my ass."

"And I'm not gonna turn into a god damn saint overnight, so don't even get that idea in your head, princess.. I'm gonna fuck up.. And ya probably gonna wind up hatin me a lot."

"It's called reality, Ambrose, god damn.. Do you think everybody's got this perfect life or something? Did you have it?"

"No, but I didn't expect shit outta mine either. I know you probably got high expectations.. Ya used to, I mean.. " Dean said as the food came and Veronica threw her head back laughing as she took a huge bite of her burger and then groaned, a genuine bright smirk coming to her face.. The look on her face made her look irresistable to him, but he didn't comment. This was all still weird, it all still felt like some kind of delusion he'd wake up from, alone and hung over yet again.

"Eat, Ambrose, damn.. I didn't bring a man with me to eat so I could out eat the bastard." Veronica said as Dean gave her a dirty look then mockingly bit into the burger, growling as he did so. She laughed and then looked around as she said "Amazing.. Nobody did it.."

"Did what?"

"I'll have what he's having." Veronica said as she wiped at her lips and then sat down her napkin and grabbed for mustard, mixing it together with ketchup on her plate, dipping her fries into it. He gave her a weird look and then she stopped in mid chew and asked through a mouth full "What?"

"I forgot ya ate like that.. It's weird.. Kinda cute, definitely annoying as all fuck, but weird to see."

She swatted at his arm and then said with a shrug "Not bad for a first date, huh?"

He froze a moment and then said finally, "Nah.."

"You got your ass in the car, Ambrose.. I didn't make you."

"And I ain't regrettin it.. Not yet anyway. Just don't think you need to expect me to be some good guy. Cause I'm not and I'm never gonna be. Everybody's right. I'm a fuckin psycho. I should come with a warning label."

"Trust me, Ambrose.. You don't actually know me. I mean you do, then you don't.. Like I said.. There's shit about me that my dad doesn't even know." Veronica retorted as she looked at him a momemt. She wished lik hell she could find everyone who ever did anything to hurt him and beat the hell out of them.. Sadly, she couldn't.

She could however, remind herself that she liked him for reasons she'd yet to figure out, and would like to stick around long enough to discover if and when he pissed her off or they got into it or something.. Because, damn it, the guy deserved that much.

And even if this did end eventually when it all became too real for him, at least she'd have the time to look back on.

She was sick of denying herself what she wanted. And she wanted to see where this whole bizarre thing with him went.

Maybe it'd last, maybe it wouldn't.. But if he stuck around.. She wouldn't try and push him out like she had with countless others.

She gasped and then laughed and said "And I think I just got punched."

Dean raised a brow and she explained, "The baby kicked, duh." as she finished off her food. He mulled that over a moment.. The urge to run wasn't there.. yet.. That didn't mean that the more real things became between them, that it wouldn't pop up one day out of the blue.

Or that he wouldn't fuck up somehow before then.

He chuckled and then asked "You think it'll be a boy or a girl?"

"A girl.. But I'm putting her in kickboxing."

"Like hell."

"And why the hell not, Ambrose?"

"Because, damn it, reasons." he said as he sipped his beer and thought, or tried to think ahead. He couldn't actually picture it, but he wasn't getting a complete blank as he had before either. She bit her lower lip and then asked "You okay?"

"Just wondering how many sets of fuckin teeth I'm gonna have to kick in on Smackdown.. And if this gets out.."

"You don't worry about this 'getting out'.. We're adults, he will have to adapt. If this gets serious, I mean."

Dean nodded then said "I ain't gonna make you face his shit by yourself either. Not when I egged it on this time around.."

"Yeah, you kinda did. Question though.. If you remembered me, why act like an asshole and make me think you forgot all about me?" Veronica admitted and then asked him as she gave him a mocked scowl and said "Persistant bastard."

"Told ya, Veronica.. When I want somethin, I usually get it. I was just stating a fact when I said it. I did it because I figured when ya moved on, ya got bored.. And it pissed me off, made me wonder if I misjudged you then. When I realized what happened though.." He said as he smirked, shrugged and looked at her for a few moments, staying quiet. He wasn't about to admit too much to her, not this early in.. She'd ran once before... He wasn't about to let it happen again.

"Cocky and persistant bastard. And again.. I wish I'd just been braver, told my father where he could shove his theory on why you weren't ever gonna be good enough. You don't see yourself like I see you.. Neither does he.. If he did, it'd probably make him mad as hell.." Veronica mused as she spontaneously grabbed the hand that lie flat on the table. He smirked a little, let her fingers curl between his. It was odd not being feared for once.

He'd definitely have to get used to it. And he found himself wondering if he'd wind up regretting letting himself get used to it.. What if he fucked up, pushed and she ran?

But he said nothing, instead, he reached out with the hand that wasn't being held and grabbed a fist full of her fries.

"What the fuckin hell.."

"Who's fightin a god damn army Friday?"

"Good point.. But then I could argue so is Roman."

"And he ain't here.. Besides, his girl will take care of him." Dean asserted possessively. She laughed and looked at him then said "Okay, alright.. Don't have a fit.. Take 'em.. I eat anymore, I'm gonna be sick."

"They're gonna go to that ass anyway." Dean tased, laughing as she glare and blushed at the same time.

"I got no ass, Ambrose." she retorted as she reached out and stole a piece of lettuce he'd picked off his burger off of his plate and popped it into her mouth.

"I happen to kinda like your ass. Maybe."

" Ha.. I thought you'd be a tit kinda guy, honestly." Veronica taunted him as he said "Got no problem with those either."

"We're so mature, really." Veronica laughed as he shrugged and then said "So.. Not a bad first date?"

"Not at all, Ambrose.. Not at all.. Hell, you might not ever surpass this one."

"All I did was get in the car." he said as he waved his hands, smirked.

She rolled her eyes then asked "Ready?" and they walked back out after paying, got into the car.

So, they'd moved past the need of space issue.. What else was going to come in their way?


	13. father daughter arguments

**( Before I start, I wanna clarify a thing.****.. I'd originally decided against doing this, making her have met Dean when he was still on independent as Jon Moxley.. But after proofreading last night, and a sudden burst of inspiration for something later on, I've decided that yes.. They did know each other before.. So all the bitterness and jabs taken at each other, all the arguing and stuff.. It all happened because they knew each other and Dean was angry at Veronica for choosing 'daddy' over him the first time around then running off and away. If it doesn't make sense, sorry.. Just going with the musi on this one. I wanna thank all of my lovely, awesome and amazing readers/followers of the story so far and my reviewer, WolfGirl. you all rock)**

O.o.O

O.o.O

"So? Where'd you go, Ambrose?" Roman asked as Dean shrugged. For now, he just wasn't sure telling anyone where he'd been and who with was a good idea, so he was going to keep quiet. _After all_, he thought to himself, _he didn't wanna fuck it all up before the thing even got started_.

Roman, however, smirked to himself and said "Fucking finally? You approached her? Now are you going to stop exploding all over the locker room?" as he fixed his eyes on his best friend. Dean shrugged and said calmly, "For now, we're good."

"What's that mean?"

"Nobody's labelling anything, shit, Roman." Dean said as Roman nodded and Dean added "Kind of better this way.. This way, if I fuck up and she's gone.. She can't say I didn't warn her and I can't say I didn't at least try this time."

"But if you're setting yourself up to fail now, Ambrose, what's the point? The point of falling is to actually fall, man.. To let yourself go and stop fucking worrying and obsessing. If you don't, man, it's never gonna work and you'll never really know what you feel or how much." Roman insisted patiently, Dean rolling his eyes, grumbling as he took a sip of the beer he'd grabbed from the fridge in their room.

"Stop shrinkin me, god damn."

"Not shrinking you, Ambrose, just pointing out a few things that you don't seem to want to understand." Roman said as he sipped a bottled water and then asked "So.. Did you say any of the stuff you told me the other night?"

"Nope."

"Damn it, man."

"What? Hey, I stopped avoidin her." Dean insisted as Roman grumbled this time and flipped through the channels on the tv set.

Meanwhile, in her room, Veronica sat with her friends, the cell phone kept ringing. "How long are you going to let that bloody thing ring?" Paige asked impatiently as Veronica looked at her and replied calmly, "Until my father's not being an egotistical butthead anymore, it will ring. He's gonna realize that I'm not one of his employees, I am his fuckin daughter.. And I am an adult, capable of living my own life. And that he's basically wrong."

"So... We saw Ambrose getting in your car earlier.. How'd that go, boo?" Alycia asked as Veronica sighed a little, shrugged and said "It is what it is, okay? We're not really labelling anything. Makes both of us jumpy as hell to put a label on something."

"So what.. You're just gonna go about it that way?" Summer Rae asked, confused. Veronica shrugged and said quietly "If I force him into anything, we all know how he'll react.. He'll turn into the stubborn asshole he's known for being, do the exact opposite just because he's pissed. Besides, I'm too fucked up to label anything, honestly. I don't want to label this because I don't wanna fuck it all up somehow and push him away. Just for once I want the guy to actually see that love doesn't come with fucking expectations and conditions."

"oooh... She used the word love." Summer Rae taunted as Emma giggled and Paige laughed, nudged Alycia who began humming the wedding march along with Aksana.

"Whoa, whoa... Nobody said anything about a damn wedding."

"But if you love him, Veronica.. Sooner or later, you will want to tie that man down."

"Not necessarily, okay? I just.. I've seen what being tied to one person does.. I've seen what damage it can cause, hell, I've lived through it.. Just not too sure I'm ready to race back down that aisle again anytime soon, ladies."

The cell phone rang and rang and Paul paced his hotel room, angry. He knew now thanks to Seth that Dean had ran out, gotten into Veronica's car.. And if she was down there doing something totally stupid, he was going to be even more furious. Stephanie placed a hand on her husband's shoulder and shook her head.. "I've always hated it when you two fight.. You're too headstrong, both of you.. Maybe she's doing this to prove a point."

"God I hope so.. Because Ambrose, according to at least ninety percent of the guys on the roster is probably the worst guy she could've chosen to fall for. She better not be down there doing anything with him or I swear to God.." Paul grumbled as he left the fifth voicemail on his daughter's cell phone.

He was about halfway done with his rant when she picked up and said calmly, "I'm not a baby anymore for one thing, Dad.. And for another, the fact that you automatically jump to conclusions based on what that little two toned pygmy bitch Rollins tells you.. If I were with Dean right now, Dad, I'd tell you.. To your damn face. Because, sir, it's like I said before.. I'm not gonna fight against what I feel or want.. Look where that got me before? I mean you wouldn't let me see him when I first met him.. So I picked the absolute worst guy to run away and rebel with. Did you learn anything then, Dad? Because I sure as hell did. And I'm gonna just trust my instincts from now on." before hanging up.

Paul grumbled and swore, swung at a wall and sat down at the desk in the hotel room, his head resting against his hand. "She basically just told me if I'd have let her seen that Ambrose prick when she met him and he was under that other ring name, she'd never have ran off with the other jerk."

Stephanie groaned inwardly and shook her head. She saw both sides of this argument clearly, but she just wasn't sure that her husband would like what she had to say about it.

"What the fuck is it about that little son of a bitch, Steph?"

"What the hell was it about you? Remember, Paul, we were in this same situation.. And like Veronica, I fought my father tooth and nail.. Because I knew what I wanted." Stephanie said as she held her breath, waited on her husband to just explode or something.

"Hell no.. It's not gonna happen.. Whether he's Ambrose or Mox.. He's still a god damn bum. And he'd never give Veronica the life she wants and deserves."

"Again, all things my own father said about you.. And still does." Stephanie said as Paul glared and stormed out after saying calmly, "Going for a walk."

In her room, Veronica was finally telling her friends that this was only the second time she and Dean had been to the brink of finallybeing together.. They looked at her with amusement and Paige said aloud triumphantly "I knew it.. I bloody knew it.. I knew you two had to already know each other."

"And now you know.. This time though, I'm gonna fight my dad on this. Because last time, I was younger, stupider and I let my dad win then proceeded to fuck up everything."

"It's working itself out though." Summer asked as Alycia nodded and then said "It's so sweet!" through a mouth full of popcorn.

"Kinda, kinda not.. We're not that sickeningly sweet overaffectionate kind of couple though.. I just wish it hadn't taken me so damn long to realize that nothing and nobody is perfect. Sometimes your Prince Charming can actually be a jerk with a sarcastic smart mouth who likes to fight and raise hell. Maybe I can accept that.. I don't want to change him, I mean.. I just.. What I felt then and what I f eel now, it's kind of different, like the two things have grown and merged?" she tried explaining as her friends laughed.

Maybe this time around would hold better luck for them together.


	14. father daughter arguments II

**( Before I start, I wanna clarify a thing.****.. I'd originally decided against doing this, making her have met Dean when he was still on independent as Jon Moxley.. But after proofreading last night, and a sudden burst of inspiration for something later on, I've decided that yes.. They did know each other before.. So all the bitterness and jabs taken at each other, all the arguing and stuff.. It all happened because they knew each other and Dean was angry at Veronica for choosing 'daddy' over him the first time around then running off and away. If it doesn't make sense, sorry.. Just going with the musi on this one. I wanna thank all of my lovely, awesome and amazing readers/followers of the story so far and my reviewer, WolfGirl. you all rock)**

O.o.O

"What the fuck were you thinking, Veronica, letting Dean Ambrose into your car. Did we not have this discussion? Because I believe we did.. And I believe, Veronica, I remember telling you that you were not dating any of the guys on the roster. Especially not that damn son of a bitch Dean Ambrose. He's just not good enough for you, and he'd only hurt you." Paul stated matter of factly as Veronica rolled her eyes and went back to shuffling around the scrambled eggs on her plate. Things between herself and her father as of late were tense, and that was putting it mildly.

"Don't start this shit again, Dad." Veronica muttered as she looked up and her father glared as he said "I'm just telling you the truth and you know it. You know he's not good enough, you only want the damn guy because I hate him so damn much. If I didn't give a shit, you wouldn't want him." while spearing a strip of bacon, eating it and watching her take in his statement from seconds ago. Instead of nodding and agreeing, instead of backing down, she stood and pushed her chair under the table angrily. Stephanie groaned, her head went down to her hand. Of all the places for Paul to do this, for the two of them to make a damn scene, it had to be in front of the other roster members, in the buffet area of the hotel. "Where are you going? Get back here."

"No, dad.. Because apparently, nothing I've said since I came back sank in. Nothing I've told you stuck. I'm an adult. And I'm not going to let you sit around and play with my life like it's a chessboard, okay? I do not like doing this,but if you're not gonna back off me and let me make up my own damn mind, Dad.. I'm not gonna stick around and stress over everything. I'm gonna go back to Mobile and I'm gonna get back to my old life."

"You don't have to do that."

"Oh, but see, Dad, I do.. Because it's quite clear to me that you're not gonna let me make my own life. I knew coming back was stupid.. I knew you'd just try and micromanage me again." Veronica fumed as she started to walk out of the buffet area. Her father caught up to her and said quietly, "I'm not trying to micromanage you. Just trying to keep you from throwing your whole life away on this damn bum." as he looked at her, waited on her to say something. She had to know he was only doing what was best for her, for her own good.

Because Dean Ambrose? Clearly was not.

Back in the buffet, Dean watched the door, chewing his food and practically snarling at the door Veronica had just stormed out of. He wanted to go out there, tell her old man that he needed to stay the fuck out, but he knew that'd be not the best way to handle all this. Plus, Roman was giving him a warning look. Finally, though, he stood and walked out when he saw Paul walking back in.

"Where ya going?"

"Back to my room.. To pack.. Then I'm going back to my apartment."

"Don't do that, damn."

"I kinda have to.. I'm not gonna let him use this to his advantage to punish you or something, shit. It's not like you asked for it." Veronica said as Dean shrugged and then said "Yeah? Well I ain't gonna just let you walk away either, so.." as he tapped his feet impatiently. Levesque was really starting to grate his last fucking nerve. Putting pressure on Veronica like this. He hated it because he felt like if he was gonna lose her a second time, it was gonna be because she didn't want him losing his career over her because whatever reason, she'd deemed herself not worth the effort.

If she hadn't been, he'd have forgotten all about her a long time ago. Like he probably should've. Because her father was right about him. He was a bum. But he wasn't the one issuing god damn ultimatums right now.. Levesque was.

And Levesque was going to wind up on his shit list because of it if he didn't watch his back.

"You can't fuckin concentrate on what you gotta do with me around.. Look, you have downtime.. Just come stay with me then." Veronica pleaded as Dean shook his head, tilted her chin up and said with a smirk "Not gonna let this happen again. You're mine.. I get what I want. You don't get to walk away, Veronica."

She looked at him and rolled her eyes, laughing a little. "That's better, girl, shit.. Come back inside, sit down. He's not gonna say a damn thing.. Unless he wants me to fork him today."

"Huh?"

"Once I got mad, stabbed a guy with a fuckin fork. Do ya not remember that?" Dean asked as she looked at him a moment. The warning bells should've been going off in her mind, but she just had this feeling that maybe if she stuck around, if she didn't run away this time, maybe he'd show a whole other side of himself . She nodded then said quietly "Not really, but I probably saw it."

"Actually, Dean", she said a few moments later after a few deep breaths, "I'm gonna go to the IHop. Wanna go?"

He smirked and nodded, they walked back into the buffet together, over to Roman and asked if he wanted to go too, then they walked back out past her father. Veronica didn't even look at her father. She didn't have to, actually, she could feel the angry gaze and the disapproval in it as she walked past. Stephanie stopped Paul from getting up and said calmly and quietly, "Leave it alone. If you want your daughter to stick around and to not run off again, Paul, trust me.. Do not go after her. Just let it go for now."

"The hell I am.. That little shit is going to learn a lesson."

"Have you stopped to think about what you're actually doing? Because trust me, Paul, Veronica is every bit as stubborn as you.. And if this is just a phase, you don't want her to feel pushed into making it a permanent thing.. Do you? And if it is real and it is permanent, you want her to want to be a part of your life, don't you?"

"I do, and yes, I want her happy.. But with that little sack of shit?"

"Again, Paul, all things my father said about you.. And look at us now. Let's just sit back for now and see what comes of it."

"Nope, not gonna..."

"She's ran once.. Do you want her to leave again and never reach out? Because this time, Paul, she might do that. And I don't want that. I want us to be a family, okay? I want her to be happy."

"And if it's this jerkoff who makes her happy, Steph.. What then?"

"We learn to deal with it or something, I don't know. Just leave it alone for now. We've already made enough of a scene in here."

He settled to eat his bacon quietly, glaring angrily at the door his daughter just walked out of all cozy with Dean Ambrose and Ambrose's buddy Roman Reigns, neither man of whom he was a fan.


	15. that was not in the script dad

**( Before I start, I wanna clarify a thing.****.. I'd originally decided against doing this, making her have met Dean when he was still on independent as Jon Moxley.. But after proofreading last night, and a sudden burst of inspiration for something later on, I've decided that yes.. They did know each other before.. So all the bitterness and jabs taken at each other, all the arguing and stuff.. It all happened because they knew each other and Dean was angry at Veronica for choosing 'daddy' over him the first time around then running off and away. If it doesn't make sense, sorry.. Just going with the musi on this one. I wanna thank all of my lovely, awesome and amazing readers/followers of the story so far and my reviewers, WolfGirl and . you all rock)**

O.o.O

She sat watching the crap down in the ring unfolding and shook her head, disappointed. Her father was apparently, going to take this decision of hers personally. They'd been sort of avoiding one another for the better part of a week now, and in that week, she'd sort of drifted just a little closer to Dean. Things in that area weren't cozy by any means, but he wasn't constantly nagging her about her life choices. And he was trying to open up a little.. Not that he had to, of course, because it was out now that they knew each other from before, pretty much anyone knew about it... But he was trying, even if it was only a miniscule amount, to let her in.

"Dad, seriously? This is stupid.. Making him fight two people at once isn't gonna magically change my mind." she muttered as Summer Rae sat down next to her, Alycia Fox on the other side, both of them looking at her. "You okay, girl?"

"Not really, no. He can say this was already in the script all he wants, girls, but I know damn well it wasn't. He's doing this to punish Dean when Dean has nothing to do with the way I feel about Dean.. hell, when I knew him the first time, he told me to leave him the fuck alone, he did everything in his power to push me away from him then. My dad, however, thinks that Dean is only doing this to get in his head or something."

"He could be.. But if he were, he'd have just said so, I think." Paige quipped as she settled in and kicked off her combat boots, sipping a milkshake through a straw. "Can I have some of that?"

"Duh. Saw you eyeing them earlier when we went to the loo." Paige said as she nodded to a tray with 4 other milkshakes sitting in it. "Got one for all of us. How'd the doctor go today?" Paige asked as Veronica smiled softly and dug around in her pockets. "Our little ballerina, ladies, is no longer the shape of a pea." Veronica bragged and for a moment, she was upset. Her father was so furious at her right now she couldn't show him the picture without it turning into a long speech about how Ambrose was not the guy she wanted being "daddy" to this baby. Or how he'd never treat her like she deserved.

_If her father only knew_, she thought to herself as she sighed a little and thought about earlier that morning. Dean hadn't actually been able to go (or he hadn't wanted to, he was one of those guys, really, she hadn't asked him because she hadn't wanted to make him feel awkward), but almost as soon as she was out of the doctor's office building, she was getting a one word text from him which had read , "?Well?"

So he had, in his own way, actually asked about how her exam went. He did care, to some extent. And it made her happy to know that he cared a little. Even if things didn't last, she'd taken a chance and she was giving him a chance. She might regret it later, but now, for the moment, she didn't, he'd given her no reason to. She just wished her father could give him a little faith, give her decision a little faith and a lot more support.

But just because he didn't like the guy, for whatever reason, he wasn't even remotely willing. Her stepmother kept telling her that maybe her father would come around, but expressed her own worries about the relationship also. Veronica tried to explain that she wasn't ignoring Dean's supposed faults (as both he and her father saw them) but she also expressed her own hurt that her father still couldn't just trust her enough to make her own decisions. So what if she made a few mistakes then?

She was an adult, it was on her to fix her own messes. It wasn't supposed to be up to her father to cut her off from everything he didn't think she should be doing, or that he felt was going to hurt her, if he kept on, she'd never learn anything. It also wasn't supposed to be up to him to decide who she'd end up with, or who was 'good enough' for her. That was for **her own heart** to decide.

"You need to get that look out of your eyes, Veronica."

"What look?"

"The one that's gonna wind up with you going down there, getting in the middle of things and getting yourself hurt or something." Aksana piped in, sipping her milkshake slowly. Veronica stood and walked out, waited at the curtain. The second her father stepped back through it, satisfied his bidding was done, that Ambrose was getting the lesson he felt the guy deserved, she was waiting, hand on her hip, scowl on her face.

"That was not in the script. I thought we didn't drag our personal business into the actual business.. Dad?" Veronica asked, her tone a little more than a little bitter and annoyed, even a little hurt. Her father sighed and said "This is nothing to do with you seeing the jerk. This is me showing that jerk and his friend their place."

"Mhmm... Wanna try that with somebody who hasn't grown up with you, old man? I know what that was, I could see it in that smirk when you walked back here. Remember what happened when Vince pulled rank with you and Stephanie? Got Test and a few other of the guys to gun for you and tried calling it kayfabe? It's the same damn thing." Veronica said calmly as she sighed. "You don't really know the guy, Dad.. It just.. It kills me because you miss the stuff I do see in him. You might not get why I feel the way I do, you might think it's wrong but guess what? It's not going to stop me from feeling it this time. So stuff like this? Not going to change my mind or make me give up like it did before."

"It should, Veronica.. The guy's a bum."

Roman came through the curtain helping a swearing and angry Dean through, both men angry, both men injured from the match, even if it was only a little. Veronica glared at her father and waved him off as she said quietly, "We're going to settle this later. Right now, I'm going to go and make sure those two god damn idiots of yours didn't do any permanent damage so you could strip him of that ppv match he's wanting so badly he can taste. Because, Dad, in case you've forgotten, that's what love is. No matter what, the person is there for you.. Like you are with me and my sisters, Mama Steph. It's not making demands and expectations, it's not butting in and punishing someone for the way they feel."

She walked away, Paul watched his daughter walking off, sighing to himself. When had they drifted this far apart? Was it really all because of the first time she'd tried to fight him so damn hard to be allowed to see the bum who was, surprise surprise, back in her life again? Or was there something more about it? Sometimes he thought that maybe her mother had poisoned her against him before he'd finally gotten to know her and it made him angry and hurt all over again. All he wanted was his kid to be happy and safe..

But why would a no good bum like Ambrose make his daughter happy? Couldn't she see she deserved better than one of the guys on the damn roster? Maybe it was because he'd spent all the time he had on the road with these men and women who fought under the WWE brand, but he was at least ninety percent certain that all of 'em were the same, and he just didn't want his daughter put through the pain that a lot of the other wives went through, having to see their spouses be unfaithful time and time again.

Who's to say Ambrose wasn't that kinda guy?

He'd been wild as hell at that age, he'd be the first man to admit it.

_'You changed, Paul.. For Steph and the kids, for Veronica.. You became a better guy, so how do you really know he would screw Veronica over?' _Paul thought to himself before dismissing the thought.

No, plain and simple, this guy was bad news for his oldest baby girl. All the stories he'd heard had to have some ring of truth to them. Not everyone could be wrong about this guy, could they?

He watched them silently, Veronica standing with the two remaining members of the Shield, looking for any sign that Ambrose was a monster in disguise. From where he stood, it just looked like a girl comforting her man after a long and hard fight that had a disappointing end.

Dean sighed as he looked up at her. "Ya shouldn't have ya ass out here."

"Too bad. Shut the fuck up and deal, Ambrose. You were getting it handed to you out there, what was I supposed to do, huh? Sit back and ignore it, pretend that it was okay? It's not." Veronica said through gritted teeth as he shook his head and said calmly, "The baby, damn it woman."

"Was fine, because I held my temper and waited. I had a little class about the situation, damn it. I didn't come down to the ring.. God knows I wanted to, but I didn't. I can take care of myself, okay?"

"Ya don't need to keep fightin ya dad like this. Hell, at least ya had one." Dean said quietly as he gave her a dirty look for not resting. He knew she had to rest, to stay off her feet. Problem was making her see this. Problem was making her actually listen to him and not fight him with every breath she had. They argued a lot, and he was trying to resist it, but he knew she was really getting to him, working past those iron clad defenses. No matter how hard he tried like hell to keep them up, she kept trying to bulldoze them right over.

He didn't want to let her in then do something to scare the shit out of her and lose her like he did so many other people. He didn't want her off the pedestal he'd kept her on all this time. He didn't want to feel the rage and disgust again.

He really didn't want to let her in, but he couldn't stop it. He felt, for the first time in his life in a long time, completely and totally powerless. Roman spoke up to ease the tension and said "So Ambrose tells me that you still think it's gonna be a girl, huh?"

"She is."

"Is not, woman.. You eat more bacon than 3 damn men. Meat means boys. Men like protein. Fruit and all that girly crap means a girl." Dean said in an annoying know it all tone. She pivoted her gaze to him and smirked.. So he'd been doing some sort of research.. It might have been an old wives tale, but the fact that he'd found that one thing out, the fact that he'd even bothered to look up anything at all showed more than he had to tell.

Maybe she hadn't been wrong to go with her heart and her feelings.

She sighed. It just sucked that her father couldn't see this side of Dean. That he could only see the side he wanted to see.. Because the old saying came in spades.. Girls picked boys who reminded them of daddy to an extent.. And Dean was stubborn, determined, quick tempered and good at being persistant and possessive (the possessive tendencies however, showed themselves as protective to an extent) and those were only just a few of the qualities that she found in her father. And he wasn't some damn monster, at least she didn't think so.

She never had, not even when her mother did her absolute best to completely tear the man down and make her hate him before she ever even met him.

It just sucked that her father couldn't back off and see Dean the way she did.

"Funny, Ambrose.. Now shut it so they can stitch you.. Again.. Then we'll go get you a beer and me another milkshake because thanks to this crap, Dean, mine's probably melted and gross."

"How about I get the milkshake, huh?"

"Nope. I am the one who'd kill for strawberry ice cream and buffalo chicken right now. Not you, Ambrose. You are not carrying a small human being around. I, however, am. So you get a beer and a burger, and I'm gonna get a strawberry shake and buffalo wings. Boneless.. Not the damn bone in ones you got last time."

He scowled then said with a smirk, "Yeah? Well I ain't gonna hold ya hair outta ya face when you're up all night throwing up either.. Because last time, Veronica, ya did."

Roman chuckled and kept silent, shook his head. Maybe things for his friend would work out this time. They made an odd couple, but they seemed to be doing okay, despite everyone's speculations otherwise. Maybe Ambrose was finally going to find the yin to his yang.. And maybe he'd finally have a little happiness.

If, of course, Dean didn't purposely screw the entire thing up because he got spooked easily.


	16. father daughter talks

**( Before I start, I wanna clarify a thing.****.. I'd originally decided against doing this, making her have met Dean when he was still on independent as Jon Moxley.. But after proofreading last night, and a sudden burst of inspiration for something later on, I've decided that yes.. They did know each other before.. So all the bitterness and jabs taken at each other, all the arguing and stuff.. It all happened because they knew each other and Dean was angry at Veronica for choosing 'daddy' over him the first time around then running off and away. If it doesn't make sense, sorry.. Just going with the musi on this one. I wanna thank all of my lovely, awesome and amazing readers/followers of the story so far and my reviewers, WolfGirl and ShelGrissom. you all rock)**

O.o.O

She stopped in mid laugh to look up and find her father standing there in the doorway of her hotel room. She sighed and looked at her little sisters, then at her father. She'd been watching her sisters for Stephanie so Stephanie could rest, she'd had a migraine all afternoon. "Girls, go put in Frozen, I'ma be right here, okay? We'll watch it over again."

"Uh oh.. Sissy in trouble." the girls giggled as they took off for the other part of the hotel suite, leaving Veronica alone with her father. "What now, Dad?" Veronica asked as Paul stepped in and shut the door behind him, sat down. "I just wanted to check on you. Thought you'd have that jerk in here."

"Thanks to you he's too busy with press and everything else under the sun.. But that's what you had in mind when you booked all those last minute radio shows and interviews in the last town, wasn't it? So he and Roman would have to stay behind, so I wouldn't spend any alone time with him... Like the match that you're trying to say was actually in the script earlier this week. I'm not a little kid anymore, Dad. Do me a favor and spare me the bullshit, okay?"

"I am. As your father I'm forbidding you to see Ambrose. I thought I'd done well enough doing it before, looks like you're hell bent on disobeying me." Paul said quietly as Veronica gaped at him a moment, winced as she felt the baby inside of her kicking. This usually happened, the baby was kicking a lot more lately, mostly when it heard her father's voice and it'd started to move a little when it heard Dean talking from it's cozy little temporary home in her belly.

If only her father could see what even her unborn kid did. They were a lot alike.

"You okay? It's the baby, isn't it?" Paul asked, Veronica nodding, grabbing her father's large and calloused hand, putting it on her stomach. "She only moves a whole lot for two people. One of 'em is you." Veronica admitted as Paul gave her a look and then she continued, "The other, actually, is Dean.. Though she is getting used to Roman's voice too."

Paul looked at her and then said quietly, "I still forbid you to see Ambrose. He's toxic, can't you see that? I mean these guys, Veronica.. Few of 'em know what a lasting marriage is.. And Ambrose? According to most, he's the absolute worst of the lot. I can't stop you from dating one of the guys, but damn it, Veronica, I can stop you from dating this particular one. And I will.. I'll do whatever I have to.. Because you're my little girl and I'm supposed to protect you.. And I couldn't with Tyler."

Veronica sighed as she folded the clothes she'd washed earlier down in the laundry area of the hotel. " I'm not a baby anymore,though. And if you hadn't done everything you had the first time to stop me from seeing him, Dad.. I never would've ran off with Tyler, I never would have even met Tyler, most likely. Look.. My mom was the one who had problems, made too many mistakes, picked the wrong men. I had to pay for it. If I didn't think that somewhere in there, a decent guy existed, I promise you.. I'd have left well enough alone. We wouldn't even be having this argument."

"Discussion." Paul butted in as he looked at her, thinking about what she said, what she seemed to stubbornly refuse to see about Dean. Maybe if he got someone to bait the little prick, make him snap and he showed her the monster Ambrose was capable of becoming... He pushed the thought out of his mind. Now he was starting to sound way too much like Vincent Kennedy McMahon, the hardass that almost cost him Stephanie not so long ago.

"If it were a discussion, Dad, you'd listen to me when I told you that I'm not gonna let you stop me from doing what I know is what I want. If it were a discussion, Dad, you wouldn't have come in here and basically told me you were forbidding me to do something. Look.. You love me, I love you. I get what you're trying to do. But you could at least try to support me. Who knows? You might be right about him and you might be wrong. But you could at least try to have enough faith in me to let me find out on my own."

He mulled it over then shook his head. "I just miss it, ya know.. When you were younger and you'd come to me with everything.. When we didn't spend all our time arguing, and you didn't get ideas in your head that were only gonna hurt you. If you could just understand that you deserve a whole hell of a lot better than this one damn guy.."

"He's good enough for me, Dad. Just because he's not some rich asshole or some third generation bastard with a title belt doesn't make him any less better, okay?" Veronica snapped as she gave her father a warning glare. She was doing her best not to fight with him, after all, her little sisters were right next to them, only a wall seperated them from her 3 half sisters..

She didn't want them hearing the argument. She didn't want them upset or scared or anything. She didn't want her father upsetting her, but in his forbidding her to see Dean, he was pissing her off pretty quickly. She didn't get it, either. Normally, things like this just got ignored when her father pulled them. With Dean, it'd always been like this knee jerk reaction to defend every single thing he said, felt or did. No matter how little sense it made to everyone on the outside.

"Okay, fine. But trust me.. Sooner or later, Veronica, this guy's gonna wind up crushing you."

"And if or when he does, Dad, I'm a survivor. I'll deal with it. For now, I'm going to keep seeing him. I won't rub it in your face, if you don't stick your nose in every ten god damn seconds." Veronica dropped her voice and said this calmly, holding his gaze. He nodded and then said calmly, "I'm telling you.. This is going to wind up hurting you. I'm here. I'll always be here. I'm your dad, unfortunately for you, Teeny, you're kinda stuck with me." as he hugged her then said "I'm gonna take your sisters for ice cream.. Do you wanna come too?"

"Sure.. Just don't start in on me about him, okay?"

"I'm not makin any promises."


	17. a familiar song

**( Before I start, I wanna clarify a thing.****.. I'd originally decided against doing this, making her have met Dean when he was still on independent as Jon Moxley.. But after proofreading last night, and a sudden burst of inspiration for something later on, I've decided that yes.. They did know each other before.. So all the bitterness and jabs taken at each other, all the arguing and stuff.. It all happened because they knew each other and Dean was angry at Veronica for choosing 'daddy' over him the first time around then running off and away. If it doesn't make sense, sorry.. Just going with the musi on this one. I wanna thank all of my lovely, awesome and amazing readers/followers of the story so far and my reviewers, WolfGirl and ShelGrissom. you all rock)**

O.o.O

Dean spun restlessly in the chair he sat in, waiting impatiently. This interview was going painfully slow. And he hadn't wanted to do press in the first place, and he was pissed because he'd actually planned something.. He was going to take Veronica somewhere, it'd be just the two of them for a few hours. No bullshit pressure from her dad, nobody snooping around, nobody watching their every move.

Then of course, her dad planned this to keep him away and right now, all of his insecurities were at an all time high. What if Seth and Randy helped her father convince her that he was a bad guy?

_'She knows that already. She hasn't left yet.' _he thought to himself, distracted. The other side of himself, the one who didn't believe anybody could stick around or would ever want him just as he was immediately fought back with **'And you haven't done anything really bad yet, either.'** and the whole cycle, vicious as it was, started all over again. He tapped his fingers against the desktop in the small dj booth and looked at the clock again. Roman watched him quietly, the DJ commented on Dean's not paying attention and Dean's head snapped up.

"Just thinkin about how good it's gonna feel to get my hands around Rollins throat is all." Dean muttered quickly as he added, "Actually, man.. You play songs and shit, right?"

"You mean like a request?"

"Yeah, sorta.. There's a song I want ya to play.. Kinda means something. Maybe." Dean said casually, shrugging. The DJ smirked.. Was this a chance to get some dirt before a dirt sheet picked it up? He used caution and asked Dean with a casual shrug, "Depends.. The station's got a certain format. We only play rock."

"It's a rock song, damn." Dean said as the DJ asked next, "Who's it for?"

"They'll know, damn it." Dean said as Roman gave him a raised brow then mouthed "Tense much?"

Dean tapped his watch in response and then said "Think the name of the damn thing's like Addicted by Saving Abel or something." as the DJ looked at him carefully and asked "For Rollins?"

"Nope. Don't worry about who this song's for, damn it. Back to Rollins though.. Hope he likes breathing through a machine. Because after this next pay per view? He's not only gonna be eating through a straw, but I'm gonna make damn sure he's breathing through a machine." Dean said simply as he settled back into the chair, his feet up on his side of the DJ's small desk.

The DJ fumbled around with the equipment, and then said with a smirk, "To whoever you are. Ambrose sends his hellos." as he turned and raised a brow at Dean who gave him a lazy smirk and a thumbs up.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, down in the parking lot, Alycia and a few of the other girls that Veronica had made friends with while traveling with her family and the show, happened to be flipping through the radio stations on her rental car's radio, just as Ambrose began giving his interview. Her ears perked when he started harassing the DJ about playing a certain song but wouldn't say why or for who.. Alycia texted Veronica and told her to turn on the radio, told her the station and what was going on.

Veronica rolled over in her bed and picked up the vibrating cell phone, glaring at it. It was probably just her dad again, being a dad. Or trying one last time to at least get her to give Randy a chance.

Instead, to her shock, it was just a text from Alycia that said simply, "Turn on ur radio, boo. Put it on that one rock station they have here that's worth a shit." which had her raising her brows but sitting up, going over to the small portable boom box she'd just bought, and flipping through. She smiled to herself when she found the station and heard Dean promising Rollins a slow and painful death at his hands. Then she heard the DJ say "To whoever you are.. Ambrose sends his hellos." before the Saving Abel song Addicted came on.

Knowing that he might have even remembered that song, or the way he'd just kind of possessively pulled her up from a chair at some lame little small town cafe, only telling her that she belonged with him and he wanted to dance with her.. She hummed along with the song and then with a soft smile, picked up her cell phone. The interview was probably over now, Dean and Roman were probably either just checking out of the hotel in the last town or they'd already done that and they were on the way to this hotel to get a room.

She texted him, smirking as she hit send. All she'd typed was "Hey to you too, sexy grumpy bastard. I can tell the interview went well. Missed you." but there was so much more she wanted to say, especially after hearing the thing he'd done, making the DJ play that one certain song, knowing it was some kind of hint or something.. Or again, he was using actions to say what he couldn't, what he was most likely too afraid to say.

Dean's phone buzzed and he'd been half asleep but he bolted awake in the passenger seat of the Suburban they'd had to rent in this town. They'd already gotten their things together, checked out of the hotel in the last town, Roman was in sort of a big hurry because his fiance and his daughter were on their way to meet him and he knew he had to have a room and some sleep in said room beforehand.

Dean wouldn't admit it, but he was in sort of a hurry too. He'd die and burn in hell before he let Veronica Levesque know just how far into his skin she'd gotten. The song was as close as he'd dare come to it for now. He knew she'd remember what happened the night they both heard it, together.. He knew somehow, she'd get it without him having to say it.

_'Sooner or later, man, you're gonna have to fucking say it. And what will happen when ya cant? When ya freeze up or screw up like all the other times?' _he thought to himself, shoving the concern out as he read her text. He smirked to himself and chuckled then texted back, "Don't ya need 2 sleep, woman?"

Veronica smiled as her phone began to play that same song she'd just heard on the radio seconds before, and she picked it up, eyes darting across the screen, slow smile spreading across her face. She sat down on the bed and texted back, "Should, but I kinda can't.. Little Bit is restless 2nite.. And so am I. Where R U?"

He nearly spilled the damn Red Bull he held clenched in his fist as if it were a lifeline when the phone vibrated in his lip, and a sneaky photo he'd taken of her recently filled the screen. Choking he read the text and replied "So go to sleep then, damn it. Count sheep or somethin. We R almost there. Is the room next 2 urs empty?"

"Isn't it always?"

He smirked as he read her response and then typed back "Good. I'm gonna get it. Get rest, woman.. 2morrow I have plans. And if ya not outta that bed B4 12.."

"You won't do shit, sexy grumpy bastard." she responded a few moments later. Dean chuckled and slid the phone into his pocket. For now, all was going smoothly, almost too smoothly for the admitted cynic in him to be okay with. What happened when things got ugly?

Maybe he should do what Roman kept telling him and stop worrying about the future, concentrate on the here and now, on what was in front of him. Because she knew more about him than a lot of other people and she hadn't turned on him yet.

Then again, his bad side hadn't come to the surface and he hadn't lashed out on her or something equally stupid.. Yet.


	18. tension

**( Before I start, I wanna clarify a thing.****.. I'd originally decided against doing this, making her have met Dean when he was still on independent as Jon Moxley.. But after proofreading last night, and a sudden burst of inspiration for something later on, I've decided that yes.. They did know each other before.. So all the bitterness and jabs taken at each other, all the arguing and stuff.. It all happened because they knew each other and Dean was angry at Veronica for choosing 'daddy' over him the first time around then running off and away. If it doesn't make sense, sorry.. Just going with the musi on this one. I wanna thank all of my lovely, awesome and amazing readers/followers of the story so far and my reviewers, WolfGirl and ShelGrissom. you all rock)**

O.o.O

The pounding on her door had her grumbling as she rolled over and then sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes and swearing a little when she actually realized what time it happened to be. Standing, she pulled on one of Dean's old t shirts, not bothering with pajamas, it was probably her father or something and he was probably going to start in on her again about her firm stance against his disapproval of her being with Dean Ambrose. The man insisted that Dean would never actually make her happy.

Veronica didn't know how things would go, but she wasn't going to let another chance to find out pass by either. She was her father's daughter, every bit as stubborn. Now it seemed as if the two were in a stand still about whether she'd get hurt and he'd be proven right or whether she'd be right and he'd have to learn to deal with it, and Veronica was a little stressed that he just wouldn't leave it alone for now, that he kept demanding her to walk away from Dean.

To her shock, when she threw open the door, hair sticking up everywhere and one of Dean's old shirts on, no shorts or pants, she found Dean standing on the other side, looking at her, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, a smirk on his face. She hadn't gotten to talk to him when he'd gotten into the town the night before, and it hit her then as she stood there just how deep in this she was, because the first thing she did was push him back against the wall and climb into his arms, kissing him. She didn't even give him a chance to say or do anything but grab her ass to steady her in his arms. He chuckled and then said with a wink and smirk "Hey to you too. Thought I told ya to be up."

"It's called pregnant women need sleep, damn it."

"I know that, damn it, woman.. But I wanted to see ya.. Before your daddy made us both too damn busy to sneak off. Can ya get out for a while?" he asked as she nodded then said "If I leave right this second, yes."

"Hell no.. Ya gonna put on some damn pants first."

"After pants, yes." Veronica said with a laugh as she noted the ball of nervous energy that seemed to surround him this morning. She felt wary for a moment, then he smirked and it seemed like whatever made him a little nervous eased off. "Ya greet anybody who comes to your door like that?" he asked, his eyes roaming her body as she stopped in her tracks and smirking teased him, "Just really special people. Why? Jealous?" as he grumbled and crossed the room, grabbing her, pulling her against him firmly as he shook his head and said slowly, "Nope."

"You're a shitty liar. Never play poker with the guys, you'd get eaten alive."

"And ya know how?"

"Because, babe.. I grew up backstage for most of my life.. And I happen to be damn good at survival around that fabled poker table." as Dean looked down at her, wondering if something were up.. He hadn't ever actually had anyone rush him like that when he walked in a room.. Like they were dying to see him, like they had to be held by him or they'd totally lose it.

He kind of liked it, but it worried him also, did that mean she was hiding something?

_'Remember what the guys told you.. If ya start accusing her and being crazy, she's gonna leave too.' _a calming inner voice told him as his other inner voice, the monsterish one insisted **_'Ya not the kind of guy girls do that shit to though, man. Ya never have been. Groupies, yeah, but they only wanna say they had sex with one of the guys. This.. That felt totally different.. She hiding something? There better not be another fuckin man.'_**

"When the hell did you steal one of my shirts?" he asked as she smirked and shrugged, mockingly zipped her finger across her lips and tugged on a pair of shorts. "I just did, okay? Dad pulling rank and keeping us apart any way he can's driving me nuts.. So I might have gotten Roman to slip it out of your bag for me? You're not too mad.. Right?" she asked, he shrugged casually, keeping anything he might or might not feel about what she'd done to himself. He wasn't about to give her that kind of power, not yet. Not when he wasn't entirely sure she'd stick around, that this was it for them both.

_Daddy had come between them before_, he thought to himself bitterly as he watched her getting dressed waiting impatiently. "Can ya hurry the hell up maybe?" he asked, tapping his fingers against the nightstand. He happened to steal a glance at her cell phone when she was in the next room dressing. The Tyler jerk had been calling, apparently she hadn't answered, by the sound of the voicemail the guy left, he was beyond furious about it too. And she'd texted only him, her parents, the girls she hung out with regularly.

The texts from the girls explained her night last night perfectly. She'd been here the whole time. For a few moments, he felt a sliver of hope and he quickly pushed it out. He didn't dare let himself feel that, not this soon. Not when they'd gotten torn apart the way they had before.

He put her phone down quickly, pretended interest in some chick flick she'd turned on on the television before disappearing into the bathroom. His mind was a jumble of mixed thoughts and frustrations.. What if he let her in and she screwed him over?

He didn't get time to finish the thought because she walked back out and slid onto the bed, dressed and ready to go, curled up in his lap. "So.. Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere, damn woman."

"Mhmm, but see, I'd like to know where this somewhere is."

"Somewhere private, damn it." Dean said as he buried his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply. She was an addiction now, an obsession, a craving. And he was beyond concerned that this couldn't be a good thing. He didn't dare hope otherwise, not after all he'd been through in life. "I missed that." she muttered as she inhaled the scent of his cologne, the faintest trace of the cigarettes he smoked sometimes. His scent. Nothing she'd ever tried had ever actually emulated it, and it nearly drove her crazy when they'd gotten torn apart the first time they had a chance to be happy, or at least decently satisfied and with each other.

"What?" he asked her, brow raised as he looked down and fixed his icy blue eyes on her, wondering if she really meant all this, if she really felt it, or if she were just pretending to to piss daddy off. When she'd left him before, he'd honestly thought she'd used him to piss off her father. Had he been wrong back then?"

"This.. Your lap, Jon, is cozy. And the way you smell, even when you reek of booze and smokes. The stubble on your face.. The way we're always driving each other insane, fighting and then making up, kind of, not even five minutes later. You drive me nuts and sometimes I could strangle you but..."

"But what?" he asked, brow still raised.. This had to be a horomone warned him pregnant chicks got loopy when their horomones were out of whack or something. She'd never actually been the emotional kind of girl. He'd never been the emotional kind of guy either. But they worked, even if they seemed like they'd never last for any decent length of time.

Then she'd left.

And now he was having a little trouble believing this might actually last, that this time she wasn't just going to buckle at the first true sign of 'daddy's anger and iron fist'. She had last time.

_'Last time, man, how fuckin old was she? How old were you? And you'd both been through way too much crap. Things happen for a reason, man.. When the hell are you gonna just let things go? Why do you always have to fuck things up that are good for you with old pain and grudges?' _his more reasonable mentality queried as the more rage fuelled side of himself pointed out _**'Jon, don't be a bitch. Don't let this girl in like this. Everybody's gonna fuck you over. Ya only good enough to make do with until somethin better comes along. Even ya own parents felt that way. Don't be a fucking idiot bitch.'**_

Veronica looked at him, tried not to laugh a little. She could tell that her being so blunt and outspoken about her feelings and what she wanted this time was really messing with his head. Before, she'd been just a kid, she'd been too damn scared to admit that he'd made her feel something very real. She'd ran from it, and she'd paid a thousand times over, since.

She'd stuck her head in the sand instead of making a choice back then and she knew that it was going to take a lot of time for him to finally get past that. It was for her father too, and this situation the three of them were in didn't help at all either.

But if she had to be honest, completely and totally brutally truthful, she'd come back for two reasons. One was to fix things with her family, because she missed them and loved them and needed them. And she'd come back to give herself (and Dean) the chance they deserved. The chance she'd been too afraid to take last time around.

"Ya alright?"

"I meant it. I missed this. I got you, you got me. We didn't need words or anything. We just kind of were. And I felt secure and free, I never wondered if you gave a damn or not. You didn't have to tell me every ten seconds that you did, you showed it. Not like.." she muttered as he looked at her then said "Not like who?"

"Not like everybody else." Veronica admitted as she leaned in and pulled him by the collar of the t shirt he wore with a pair of holey jeans into a lip nibbling, rough and passionate kiss.

"Don't start something you're not gonna finish." he warned as he held her firmly in his lap and looked into her eyes. She giggled a little and then said "I just wanted to say that and do that. You looked like you needed it." as he shrugged and said "I'm fine, shit. Now let's go already, damn. I got shit planned." before standing, not bothering to move her from his lap.

_'She knows where she belonged. She's basically trying to make up for what she did back then. You could at least let her closer.' _that ever present and nagging logical inner voice explained as he carried her out the door and stood her on her own two feet. A voice spoke up from behind them and Seth said with a smirk "So.. You really think that getting cozy with the COO's daughter is going to get you anything but trouble? You really are stupid. And she's bored. This will never last because.."

"Stay put." Dean said as he glared at his former friend, arms crossed, before turning to Veronica. Veronica grumbled and then said with a calm smirk, "If I wanted boredom, Rollins, I'd be with you or that moron Orton. No, actually, you fucking fucktard, I happen to want him."

"Only because it pisses your dad off.. You have daddy issues, it's not a big secret." Seth said as he smirked. He could tell his words were getting to Ambrose. If he got Ambrose's inner insecurities out and to the surface, HHH wouldn't have to worry about Veronica's safety or well being anymore because he knew his former business partner.. And he knew that when Ambrose was feeling a little insecure or jealous or something? People and things got hurt.

She'd run so fast it'd make Dean's head swim.

Veronica glared at Seth, fist balled up and jammed partially into the pocket of her shorts. If she weren't in her 'delicate' condition currently, she'd deck this fucking jerk right in his mouth. Or in the dick. Either one worked for her personally, seeing as how she'd liked him even less when he was on the same roster as Dean was back then and she'd met him a few times.

"You snarky little son of a..." Veronica started, Dean grabbing her. "Told ya to stay put, woman, damn." he said calmly as he stepped forward, gave Seth a hard shove backwards. "If you come near her again, Rollins, you're gonna need the army to get me the fuckin hell off you. She is mine. Get that through your little brain. She will continue to be mine until I say otherwise."

Veronica gave him a momentary dirty look for the statement while he was busy with Seth, and fumed. She smelled a rat, she knew her father had to be behind this, this was the exact crap her father pulled when he felt like being a meddling and controlling ass.

And apparently, despite their talk, despite their having smoothed things over sort of, he was still going to keep on being a meddling controlling ass. She made a mental note to confront her dad about it later. For now, she'd have to hope this didn't create a huge setback in her goal to finally have the man she wanted because she wasn't going to stop fighting this time.

No more running for her, this was real.. Even when it scared the living hell out of it. Actually relearning and learning what she had about him in both what he told her and in the search she did on him when she'd first returned proved that much. He needed someone to stay. And she wasn't actually that afraid of him. She knew he was dangerous, that he'd hurt her if he got angry enough but she was going to worry about that when the problem arose.

For now, she was taking this step by small step.

Roman got between the two men and the fight stopped before it got so far out of control that everyone involved got into serious and deep shit and Dean walked over, angry look in his eyes. She bit her lower lip and looked up at him. "He's just being an asshole, babe."

Dean shrugged, staying silent. She grumbled and then said "You're an idiot if you let that idiot get in your head." before turning to walk away, intent on going to get breakfast since now it was obvious that their day together was ruined before it even began.

He caught up to her and grabbed hold of her wrist then said calmly, "Don't fuckin do that. Fucking walk away from me like that. And nobody calls me an idio.." as she looked at him with a raised brow and then said with a sigh, "Yeah, my dad did just what he set out to do, you're in a mood now. And I'm not sticking around to hear it today."

"I'm not in a fucking mood."

"You are."

"Am not, damn it." he insisted as he looked at her and then said "Let's just go, damn it." as she looked up at him, concerned. She shook her head and said quietly, "It pisses me off.. That he did that."

"I'm gonna get his ass though.. The second we're in that ring tonight, i'm going to choke him out." Dean said as Veronica nodded and then said quietly, "I just hate it because it gets to you. Look, you have to be willing to trust me."

"Not makin any promises. Ya left." Dean said solemnly as he gazed down at her. She sighed and nodded then said "But I'm back. And I wish I hadn't done it. I was scared, okay?"

"Yeah? Well so was I."

She looked at him a moment, shocked silent. He smirked and then tried to turn the subject, make a joke, but hearing him say that, admit he'd been scared was strange. And she realized that she wasn't making a mistake fighting her father tooth and nail on this. "Let's go. So.. Where are you taking me?" she asked as she started to lead them towards the elevator.

"Away from all this shit. At least for a few hours." Dean muttered as he mentally kicked himself for just blurting that out. He'd basically just admitted that he felt something really deep for once and that yeah, he had back then and he'd been scared too. Which gave her too much power and he didn't like that, it made him uncomfortable, his feelings accidentally exposed like that.

"That sounds like the best idea I've ever heard." Veronica muttered as she hugged against him when they stepped onto the elevator. Somehow, she was going to prove to him that she wasn't going anywhere this time, that he was stuck with her unless he freaked and left. And this scared her because what if he did that very thing?

It was odd, being that addicted to someone. And kind of scary at the same time. But she was taking the risk and for the first time in a long time, she was feeling better than she had ever before.


	19. road trip I

**( Before I start, I wanna clarify a thing.****.. I'd originally decided against doing this, making her have met Dean when he was still on independent as Jon Moxley.. But after proofreading last night, and a sudden burst of inspiration for something later on, I've decided that yes.. They did know each other before.. So all the bitterness and jabs taken at each other, all the arguing and stuff.. It all happened because they knew each other and Dean was angry at Veronica for choosing 'daddy' over him the first time around then running off and away. If it doesn't make sense, sorry.. Just going with the musi on this one. I wanna thank all of my lovely, awesome and amazing readers/followers of the story so far and my reviewers, WolfGirl ShelGrissom and my newest reviewer SoniB89. you all rock)**

O.o.O

She looked from him to the highway, then back again. They weren't just going over to the next town or something, they were passing state lines. Her heart raced a little, she felt suddenly excited. The cell phone in her hand vibrated and she looked at it, her father was texting, asking where she was. She ignored his texts. The stress he was putting on her wasn't helping her any, not when she was pregnant and her mind was made up. Her cell phone went off again and this time, it was Paige. She texted Paige back quickly telling her to keep it hush hush.

"Seriously? Can't ya go without that damn thing five seconds? I barely use my phone, shit." Dean said as she giggled and reached across, trailed her index finger slowly across his jaw bone and said "You're a technophobe though." as he shrugged then muttered "Nah. I just don't want people being able to find me when I'm not on the road, that's all."

She pretended to pout and he shrugged then said "What? It's more peaceful that way."

"But me? Hello.. I really don't think I can just not hear your voice." Veronica said in a flirty tone, leaning against him a little. He slid his arm across the seat she sat in and then said calmly, "Okay, fine, damn. But not every five god damn seconds." as he looked at her. She rolled her eyes and said "Please.. You're talking to me, not to AJ or one of the other girls. I'm kinda not into knowing my man's every single whereabouts." as she leaned up, kissed his stubbly cheek. "I totally needed this."

"Ya not the only one. I'm gettin fuckin sick of Orton and Rollins and ya dad popping up. Want ya to myself for a while." Dean muttered as he took a sip of the bottled water she'd gotten for them to share at a gas station about two towns back. "Where are we going anyway?" she asked him as he smirked, shrugged and kept quiet, keeping his eyes trained on the road, his hand creeping slowly down to squeeze her breast from it's original resting position next to her shoulder. She squeaked and gave him a momentary dirty look then said "They're kinda tender, damn it."

"Shit."

"You knew that, you ass."

"They're too temptin not to squeeze though, Veronica." Dean made an argument for his fascination with her breasts as she grumbled and rolled her eyes. The window went down and she gave him another dirty look. "Seriously? You had to fart in here?"

"Shit happens, babe. Wasn't gonna hold it either." Dean said as he laughed and then said "Not any worse than you, woman, damn it." as he flipped through staticky radio stations, trying to find something even halfway decent to listen to. He stopped on a station when he heard her start humming along to a song, singing it quietly under her breath. He watched her, curiousity in his eyes as he said "Didn't know you could actually sing."

"Haha. Funny, Jon." Veronica said as she turned to look at him, smiled. The smell of the ocean hung in the air and she looked at him a few moments. "Where are you taking me anyway?"

"Away, damn it, woman. Do you ask this many questions to everybody, huh?" Dean asked as she bit her lower lip and muttered quietly "Okay, alright, fine.. For now, I'll let the destination be a surprise."

"Wasn't gonna tell ya anyway, babe." Dean said with a smirk as she gave him yet another dirty look and turned slightly in her seat to watch him as he drove. Sometimes she just felt like staring at him, shocked that she'd finally gotten the damn nerve to come back, to fight for what she should've fought for the first time her father drove them apart, before the WWE ever signed him.

Other times, of course, when he was in a mood and being a shit, she wanted to strangle him. Those days came more frequently, not a surprise to her, Dean wasn't an easy guy to love, and sometimes it could be scary as hell, but she tried to take them in stride. She knew that he got impatient with her a lot too, that he got pissed when she had mood swings, but she tried not to be around him when she was having her mood swings.

"Hungry?" he asked as he heard her stomach growling, his eyes fixing on her, concerned. He didn't understand where all her food went, actually, she was so tiny, except of course her stomach, that looked kind of like she swallowed a smaller bowling ball currently. He found himself constantly freaking out about her, this strange need to actually protect her kind of still amazed him. _But if he were going to actually protect her_, he thought to himself as he pulled off at some small roadside diner just off the interstate and parked, _then shouldn't he walk away now before he did something that scared her to death and made her leave? _

"A little, yeah. What's that look for, Jon?" she asked, concerned. Was he regretting this spontaneous little road trip or whatever the hell it was already? Was he getting bored with her and getting ready to move on? Her stomach churned nervously a moment and he said quietly, "Just wonderin if I shouldn't have left ya alone.. I'm not ever gonna be a good guy."

"And I'm not some saint or something, okay? We know each other's stories, Jon. Neither of us is going into this blind. You're sitting over there freaking out right now, aren't you?"

"Nope."

"Liar."

"Am not, god damn it." Dean said as he got out of the car, stretched and walked around, opening her door. She stood and stretched then said "Something smells good." mostly to keep an argument from happening right now. She didn't want to fight him today. She hated fighting with people, and the two men she loved most, her father and Dean, well.. She tended to butt heads with both males quite often.

"It does." Dean said as he slid his arm around her and chuckled when her stomach growled a little. "Knew it. Did ya eat anything earlier, woman?" he asked as she nodded and said "Ate Lucky Charms this morning, actually.. And then what we had that first time we stopped."

"Salad's not food."

"Yeah well I wanted it at that particular point in time, okay?" she said as he nodded and they walked into the small diner. Her phone went off again, her father again this time. And with things as peaceful as they were right now, with the stress being gone for a few days, she just didn't feel like dealing with his crap about Dean right now.

The dirt sheet reporter smirked when he saw Dean Ambrose walking through the door of the diner. He knew the show was supposed to come through, so he'd sort of taken to hanging out in this little diner.. And from the looks of things, he might have just hit major paydirt. Ambrose had a pregnant girlfriend? And that girlfriend just happened to be the COO's daughter?

He crowed in laughter as he snapped picture after picture all while muttering aloud "This is better than that dirt I got for Vince on Stephanie and her husband before they actually got married. The shit just might hit the fan this time.. I wonder if Daddy has any idea what his precious little princess is up to right now? If he doesn't, he will have when I post these pictures and this story to the blog, to all the dirt sheets I can find."

His pockets were empty.. If he played his cards right, they'd be full again by the end of this week at the latest.


End file.
